Pierre Chouteau, Jr.
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| Pierre Chouteau, Jr. | |
| Born | 19 January 1789 |
|---|---|
| Died | 6 September 1865 (aged 76) |
Pierre Chouteau, Jr. (January 19, 1789-September 6, 1865) (also referred to as Pierre Cadet Chouteau) was a member of the Chouteau fur trading family.
Chouteau was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was Jean Pierre Chouteau, one of the first settlers in St. Louis. His mother was marriage to Pelagie Kiersereau (1767-1793) [1]
One of his brothers was Auguste Pierre Chouteau. A step brother (after his father married Brigitte Saucier) was Francois Gessau Chouteau, who was one of the first settlers of Kansas City, Missouri.
He followed in the family footsteps by starting a trade with the Osage (tribe) at age 15. He also operated lead mines around Dubuque, Iowa until the War of 1812.[2]
Chouteau was a member of Bernard Pratte and Company which was the Western agent for the American Fur Company in 1827 and pioneered the use of steamboats on the Missouri River. He built Fort Pierre in South Dakota which derives its name from him.
He was an influential contributor to Thomas Hart Benton.[3]
He eventually took over the American Fur Company which was renamed Pierre Chouteau, Jr., & Company. [4]. In 1834, the company bought all the Missouri River interests of the Astor Fur company and it was reorganized in 1838 as Pierre Chouteau, Jr., and Company until it dissolved in 1864. In the early days the Chouteau interests supplied pelts for the beaver hat industry. When the industry began to collapse around 1850, they began a trade in buffalo hides. Chouteau invested heavily in railroads, rolling mills, and mining.
