Edouard Beaupre

The 10 of tallest man in the world in history

Edouard Beaupre

 

Edouard Beaupre (January 9, 1881 – July 3, 1904) was a circus and freak show giant, strongman and a star in Barnum and Bailey's circus. Beaupre was the eldest of 20 children born to Gaspard and Florestine (nee Piche) Beaupre newly founded parish of Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the first child to be baptized in the parish. Beaupre did not grow normally at birth, but when the first three years of his life, his growth was relatively normal. 

However, Edouard's growth rate then increased dramatically, so much so that by age 9 years his height was six feet and by the age of 17 his height was recorded at 7'1". In 1902, his height was measured at 8 feet 2.5 inches and he weighed over 400 pounds. His death certificate described him as being 8'3" (2,52m) tall and still growing.

As a young man, Beaupre quickly grew into a first-rate horseman. Edouard had a dream of becoming a cowboy when he was growing up. When Beaupre was 15 years, he quit school to pursue his dreams of riding the open range. Legend has it that he had to give up to his cowboy dream because his legs dragged on the ground when he rode even who tallest horses. He then decided to use his body size to find advantage to support his family. Edouard would become more known as the "Willow Bunch Giant".

At the urging of others and to help support his family, he went on to tour the North American freak show circuit. Over the years he would be stared to onlookers, wrestle with strongmen and perform feats of strength. His stunt is bent down under horses and then lifted to the shoulders. He would then go on to star in Barnum and Bailey Circus, even though life on the road was not easy for Beaupre. To accommodate his size, Hotel staff make a second mattress with lengthen his bed. He has been spend the latter part of his short life performing in freak shows and circuses reportedly lifting horses as heavy as 900 pounds.

In 1902 Beaupre was diagnosed with tuberculosis. By the time he reached the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, his rapid growth and the disease had taken a heavy toll on him. He became ill and died at a local St. Louis hospital on July 3, 1904. Even at the time of his death at age 23 years, doctors determined that Beaupre was still growing.

Gaspard Beaupre made a trip to St. Louis to retrieve his son's body. When he reached his destination, however, Gaspard turned back when he realized that he didn't have enough money to pay double fare to return home with the body.

Family sure if his son's body was going to be buried in St. Louis or used for medical experiments, but that was not the case. When the circus refused to pay for the transportation costs back to Willow Bunch, Edouard Beaupré's body was embalmed and put on display.

Around 1905, his body made its way to a museum in Montreal and then a circus. When the circus went bankrupt, the body was claimed by the Université de Montreal, whose scientists then discovered the problem of Beaupre's giant status — his pituitary gland had secreted an abnormal amount of growth hormone throughout his body.

In 1975 Ovila Lesperance, Beaupre's nephew discovered the whereabouts of his uncle's body. Lesperance's efforts to return Beaupre's body back to Willow Bunch were unsuccessful, as the university claimed it was still needed for research and refused to assist with the efforts to give Beaupre a proper burial. An agreement was finally reached in 1989. To ensure that Beaupré would not be publicly displayed or used for personal gain, his family insisted that his body be cremated. His remains were brought to Willow Bunch and buried on July 7, 1990.