September 28th is National Sons Day so this post is dedicated not to The March King and his father, Antonio, but rather to John Philip Sousa, Jr.
John, Jr,. was the first of three Sousa children and was born on April 1st, 1881. He was educated in Washington, New York City, and Princeton, NJ schools and while there is no indication he had an aptitude or interest in musical studies as a youngster, he, like his famous father, developed a keen interest in baseball and also enjoyed hunting, fishing, and tennis. His higher education took place at Princeton University where he was a baseball standout prior to graduating in 1904. In 1905, he married Eileen Adams of New York and raised five children including John Philip Sousa, III. According to Sousa biographer Paul Bierley, John, Jr. was involved in several business ventures primarily in the area of manufacturing. The family eventually relocated to La Jolla, California where in 1937, he died suddenly of a heart attack at age 56.
John Philip Sousa wrote very sparingly about his immediate family in his 1928 autobiography Marching Along, however, these few passages did appear: “Surely nothing is so valuable to a professional musician as the sincere and considerate affection of a loyal family… Our children have brought us only happiness… My son John Philip, Jr. married Eileen Adams, who has presented us with five fine grandchildren, Eileen, John Philip, 3rd, Jane Priscilla, Thomas Adams, and Nancy… My wife and my children have been companions, editors, critics, and audience, sharing my hopes and my hobbies, one harmonious company – like my Band.”
Artifacts include: 1) 1882 baptismal certificate; 2) JPS, Jr. donning his Princeton Prep baseball uniform ca. 1900; 3) Sousa Band baseball team ca. 1902 with JPS, Jr. as “ringer” in Nassau (Princeton University) uniform; 4) Sousa baseball team photo appearing on “Three Strikes Two-Step by A.W. Bauer; 5) Three generations of Sousas gathered at the piano ca. 1919; 6) John, Jr. & Eileen’s five children posed with their famous grandfather, 1922; 7) Sousa ‘trio’ ca. 1927
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