Emmett
Leo Kelly Jr. (November 13,
1924 – November 29, 2006) was an American clown. He was the son of Emmett Kelly Sr., who was a legendary circus clown. Kelly Jr.
copied his father's style. Kelly was born in Dyersburg, Tennessee on
the day the John Robinson Circus, his
father's employer, was doing its last show. Kelly Jr. spent his first few years
traveling with his parents. When he reached school age he still traveled with
his family during the summer and lived with his grandparents when school was in
session. He finished school during World War II, and joined the Navy at age 18 and spent approximately three years in the
Pacific participating in major operations in Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Despite being raised around the circus, he
pursued a career in the railroad business after the war, becoming a switch
tender and also a mechanic. It was not until 1960 (four years after his father
retired from performing) when Kelly Jr., who had never been encouraged by his
father, debuted himself as "Weary Willie" at the Circus Festival
in Peru, Indiana. He was
guided by their manager, Leonard Green, for the next four years. He toured a
daredevil auto show called "Austin's Motor Derby" during the night
and would arrive just hours before the next show. In 1963, Kelly was the
featured performer of the Hagen-Wallace Circus as they traveled nationwide. The
elder Kelly was not happy with his son's decision to play an almost identical
character, although the latter claimed his version of Weary Willie was less
sad, and the two were estranged for years. While traveling
to a Kodak performance in San Diego, California,
Kelly drove to Tombstone, Arizona on
a sightseeing detour. He said he had four days to get to San Diego and he was
well ahead of schedule so he wanted to see Tombstone. He fell in love with the
town and decided to retire there. Kelly would snowbird each year in Tombstone
until he moved there in 1980. It was then that he joined the Arizona Rangers and the Tombstone Company.In 1972, Kelly,
with help from his manager, established his own circus which toured nationally
and was the only circus to perform at the White House, not just once but twice—once in 1972 and again in
1973 during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.[3] Throughout his life, Kelly donated his time to
several charities including The Make A Wish Foundation, The American Cancer
Society, Save The Children Foundation, and FACES—The National Association for
the Craniofacially Handicapped and was honored by Presidents, First Ladies,
Kings and Queens, and numerous heads of state. A weekend event in Tombstone, Arizona was named
after him. Emmett Kelly Jr. Days, which is held in November, includes clown
school and other events. It is done to raise funds for a scholarship for a
Tombstone High School graduate. Kelly continued to perform until he retired
from clowning on his 81st birthday in 2004. On his last birthday he requested
to retrieve his Ranger Badge. He died 16 days later. The badge was presented to
his daughter by LTC Lathan Varnado, State Adjutant. In a gold framed case, Mrs.
Kelly-Knapp was presented an Arizona Ranger Patch flanked on the left by a
Ranger Badge and a Ranger Belt Buckle on the right. Also lying on the field of
blue felt was a plaque inscribed "Emmett Kelly Jr., Arizona Rangers,
Tombstone Company, 1982, Badge # 405."
Since he worked for the railroad, Kelly's hobbies outside of the circus
included collecting model trains which later inspired him to create the Emmett
Kelly Jr. Circus Train collection. He was also a race car enthusiast. After his
discharge from the military, he married and raised five children. He worked at
a variety of jobs, in various locations, before settling down in Peru, Ind. He
worked as a brakeman with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, struggling on
$134 every two weeks. Kelly continued touring, despite his wife's pleas. Their
marriage eventually ended in a divorce in the '60s. His wife said that his
character Willie had taken over her husband. Not long after he went on the road
with Willie, his son, Paul Anthony Kelly, lost a leg in a train accident. Kelly
Jr. heard of the accident and came home, but after a brief visit departed,
saying "Willie’s got itchy feet."