Robert Wadlow: The World’s Tallest Human Being
by
John J. Dunphy
Born in the family home at 1421 Monroe Street in Alton at 6:30 a.m. on February 22, 1918, Robert Pershing Wadlow was the eldest of five children. His two brothers and two sisters all attained only normal height, and there was no history of giantism on either side of his family. Robert, who weighed a healthy 8 and one-half pounds at birth, tipped the scales at 62 pounds at 18 months. At age five, he stood 5 feet, 4 inches and weighed 105 pounds.
He started school with other children his age, although his height made him resemble one of the teachers rather than merely another pupil. Robert adjusted well to school and easily made friends with his classmates, joining with them after class in all the usual games of childhood. He scored 124 on an IQ test, a figure well above average in the 1920s. Just like so many other boys, Robert joined the Boy Scouts. He took the “tenderfoot tests” in Troop 1 at Upper Alton’s College Avenue Presbyterian Church in 1931.
But problems were already beginning to plague young Robert. Like Gulliver in the land of the Lilliputians, he dwelled in a world in which everything had been designed for much smaller people. Ordinary school desks and chairs were much too small for this particular scholar. Even note-taking was difficult, since even the largest pen or pencil was like a toothpick in his huge hand. A River Bend resident who attended Alton High School with Robert recalled him as a good student who was always eager to acquire knowledge. This resident also remembered Robert as a fellow member of the Order of DeMolay, who later became a Freemason.
A team of doctors at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis who had examined Robert in 1929 attributed his growth to an excessive secretion of the pituitary gland. The doctors concluded that nothing could be done to thwart the secretion without endangering his life. Like any young man, Robert had ambitions and made plans for his future. He wanted to become a lawyer. Frederic Fadner, in his biography of Robert, maintained that the young Altonian harbored a secret desire to enter politics someday. Immediately upon graduating from Alton Senior High School in January 1936, the 8 foot, 3 and one-half inch Robert enrolled in the old Shurtleff College in Alton.
But Robert remained at Shurtleff for only a single semester. His massive hands could now barely hold a writing instrument of any kind, so note-taking during lectures was impossible. A former classmate recalled Robert placing one of his huge hands on the shoulder of a fellow student for support as he cautiously made his way across a campus made treacherous by snow and ice. The young giant’s dream of becoming a lawyer and entering politics withered and died on the vine.
Robert realized that his career options were drastically limited. Since his height had made him a national celebrity, a number of show business concerns had long sought to capitalize on his tremendous height. But Robert had serious reservations regarding their offers. Under no circumstances would he consent to exploitation as a sideshow freak.
Still, Robert had made promotional appearances for the Peters Shoe Company of St. Louis for quite some years, in return for the enormous, specially-crafted shoes that he required. It occurred to Robert and his parents that perhaps a career could be made out of public appearances.
Robert agreed in 1937 to appear with the Ringling Brothers Circus in New York and Boston but only under a specific set of terms. The circus would provide a hotel suite for Robert and his father, Harold, and pay all their expenses. Robert would wear a conservative business suit — not any kind of costume. Finally, under no circumstances would Robert be part of the notorious sideshow.
The appearances with Ringling went well, with Robert merely stepping into the vacant center ring for a few minutes twice daily. The young giant’s career soon blossomed into a plethora of personal appearances that would eventually take him approximately 300,000 miles, traveling through 41 states in addition to Mexico and Canada. Robert also continued to make appearances at various River Bend businesses such as Snyder’s in downtown Alton
Those who remember meeting or at least seeing Robert at one of his appearances always remark about his warmth and friendliness. One person noted that he “never seemed to mind being stared at” and did not permit rude, insensitive people to upset him. My late parents knew Robert and spoke of him warmly. My mother characterized him as “dignified and always a gentleman.”
But Robert could stand up for himself when the situation warranted it. In 1939, he filed a $100,000 lawsuit against Dr. Charles Humberd of Barnard, Missouri, for libel. Humberd, who had examined Robert at home in 1936, wrote an article for the Journal of the American Medical Association about the giant’s character and mental processes. The article stated that Robert was a moody, surly introvert and contained additional comments that the young giant and his family found offensive.
The trial, held in St. Joseph, Missouri, became quite a media event. Thousands of people waited outside the courthouse to catch a glimpse of the world’s tallest man. Robert stayed at a local hotel, which hired a carpenter to take apart two beds and then reassemble them so that Robert could sleep in comfort. The Optimist and Rotary clubs invited him to luncheons as a guest.
Despite calling a number of witnesses, including Alton High School principal C.C. Hanna, Robert lost the lawsuit. He decided not to appeal the verdict. But Robert filed another lawsuit later that year, this time against Time. The magazine had published an article that, according to the Wadlow family, held up the celebrated giant to ridicule and disgrace. At the request of Time, the court dismissed the suit.
Robert, by 1940, stood 8 feet, 11.09 inches and weighed 439 pounds. He walked with a cane and wore supportive ankle braces. Incredibly, it was an ankle brace that cost Robert Wadlow his life.
He had little sensation in his extremities and was unaware that a new brace had scraped his ankle to create an infected wound. After riding in an Independence Day parade in Manistee, Michigan, in 1940, Robert returned to his hotel with a fever of 101 degrees. Harold Wadlow, who always accompanied his son on appearance tours, tried to persuade Robert to enter a hospital, but the young giant refused. The attending physician stationed a nurse around the clock at Robert’s bedside.
He grew progressively worse, suffering great pain while his temperature hovered between 104 and 106 degrees. His mother arrived to lend him what support and comfort she could.
The Wadlow family had planned a family reunion for the end of July. Robert had been looking forward to it and asked the doctor if he would be able to attend the event. Robert Wadlow’s last words, spoken to his parents at 10:30 p.m. on July 14, expressed regret that he would be unable to attend the reunion. Even facing death, the young giant’s thoughts centered on the family that had given him so much love and support. He died at 1:30 a.m. the next day.
His massive body was returned to Alton, where some 46,000 people field through Streeper Funeral Home to pay their final respects. Robert’s funeral included the rites of the Masonic lodge, and he was interred in Oakwood Cemetery in Alton. The casket, which measured 10 feet in length and 32 inches in width, was enclosed in a thick shell of reinforced concrete to ensure that no one could remove the young giant’s body for ghoulish exploitation.
Robert Wadlow is widely commemorated in the River Bend. The fellowship room at Upper Alton’s Main Street Methodist Church, where he was a member, is named Wadlow Hall in his honor and features a life-size photograph of the young man. Franklin Masonic Lodge in Upper Alton contains a Robert Wadlow Room that holds such memorabilia as the special chair built for Wadlow by the Galax Furniture Company of Virginia. The chair, specially designed to accommodate this giant, weighs about 450 pounds. The Alton Museum of History and Art also has an extensive collection of Wadlow material.
By far the most acclaimed memorial is the life-size bronze statue of Robert Wadlow on the campus of the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine in Upper Alton — the grounds of the old Shurtleff College that Wadlow attended so many years earlier. Created by local artist Ned Giberson and dedicated in 1985, this masterpiece was entirely financed by contributions from residents, businesses and civic groups. A bronze replica of Robert’s massive chair is located a few feet from the statue.
The Wadlow statue and chair have become favorites with tourists, who often have their photographs taken while standing next to them. River Bend residents who knew Robert remark that looking up to view the statue reminds them of how they had to look up to talk to Robert so many years ago.
Bibliography:
Brannan, Dan. Boy Giant: The Story of Robert Wadlow. Alton Museum of History and Art. 2003.
Dunphy, John J. “The Gentleman Giant,” Springhouse Magazine (Volume 4, Number 2, April 1987).
Fadner, Frederic. The Gentleman Giant: The Life of Robert Wadlow. Boston: Bruce Humphries, 1944.
Lenhardt, Henry B. “A classmate’s personal recollection,” The [Alton, IL] Telegraph; November 18, 1985.
Yakstis, Ande. “Robert filed two celebrated legal actions,” The [Alton, IL] Telegraph; November 18, 1985.
- John J. Dunphy’s latest book is “Unsung Heroes of the Dachau Trials,” which includes interviews with veterans of the U.S. Army’s 7708 War Crimes Group.