Who Was Sousa? John Philip Sousa, also known as the “March King” lived from November 6, 1854 to March 6, 1932. Sousa was born in Washington D.C. and died at age 77 in Reading, Pennsylvania of a heart failure in his room at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel. The day before, he had conducted a rehearsal with the Ringgold Band. They rehearsed “Stars and Stripes Forever”. His mom’s name was Maria Elisabeth Trinkaus and his dad’s name was John Anthony Sousa. Sousa married his wife, Jane van Middlesworth Bellis, on December 30, 1879. They had three children named John Philip, Jr., Jane Priscilla, and Helen. All of Sousa’s children were buried next to John Philip Sousa in the Congressional Cemetery.
He was an american composer and a conductor of the late
He was an american composer and a conductor of the late