Auguste Chouteau

René-Auguste Chouteau, Jr. (September 7, 1749, or September 26, 1750 – February 24, 1829), also known as Auguste Chouteau, was the founder of St. Louis, Missouri, a successful fur trader and a politician. He and his partner had a monopoly for many years of fur trade with the large Osage tribe on the Missouri River. In addition, he had numerous business interests in St. Louis and was well-connected with the various rulers: French, Spanish and American. Early life and education On September 20, 1748, Marie-Thérèse Bourgeois married René Auguste Chouteau, who had recently immigrated from France to Louisiana. René Chouteau was described as an innkeeper, liquor dealer, and pastry chef. He was born in the village of L'Hermenault in September 1723, and was nearly ten years older than Bourgeois. Auguste Chouteau was the only child of Marie-Thérèse and René, born in either September 1749 or September 1750. The elder Chouteau purportedly abused Marie Thérèse, and the abandonment of her and their son led Marie Thérèse to return to her pre-matrimonial home. Some scholars say that she returned to the convent. Others believe that she returned to her step-father's and mother's house. In either case, a child named "René" was baptized on 7 September 1749 at the St. Louis Parish Church in New Orleans. The parents of the child were listed as "René Chouteau" and "Marie Bourgeois." However, the Auguste Chouteau who founded St. Louis, Missouri, often was referred to as René-Auguste, but his birth date was listed in family records as September 26, 1750. Family members in the 19th century used the traditional date (September 26, 1750) for Chouteau's grave marker in Calvary Cemetery. In René Chouteau's will, he referred to two living sons in 1776. Thus, it is possible a second son existed. In that case, it is likely that the second son died after René Chouteau left Louisiana. By 1758, Marie-Thérèse (known as Madame Chouteau or Widow Chouteau) had met and began living with Pierre de Laclède Liguest (commonly known as Laclède) in a common-law marriage. Kieran Doherty suggests that Laclède informally adopted Auguste Chouteau, providing him with an education in one of the Catholic schools of New Orleans. Regardless of whether formal education was provided Chouteau, it was clear that by his early teens, he had a respect for learning and some form of education (possibly under the direct tutelage of Laclède).