Auguste Pierre Chouteau (9 May 1786 – 25 December 1838) was a member of the

Chouteau Chouteau was the name of a highly successful, ethnically French fur-trading family based in Saint Louis, Missouri, which they helped found. Their ancestors Chouteau and Laclède initially settled in New Orleans. They then moved-up the Mississipp ...

fur-trading family who established

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...

s in what is now the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

. Chouteau was born in St. Louis, then part of Spanish colonial Upper Louisiana. His father was Jean Pierre Chouteau, one of the first settlers in St. Louis. His mother was Pelagie Kiersereau (1767-1793) One of his brothers was

Pierre Chouteau Jr. Pierre Chouteau Jr. (January 19, 1789 – September 6, 1865), also referred to as Pierre Cadet Chouteau, was an American merchant and a member of the wealthy Chouteau fur-trading family of Saint Louis, Missouri. Early life and education Choutea ...

(who founded Fort Pierre in South Dakota). A half-brother (born after his father married Brigitte Saucier) was François Chouteau, who established a trading post and was one of the first settlers of

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

. Auguste Chouteau was among the first young men from Missouri to be appointed to

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

. After graduating in 1806, he resigned the Army in 1807. He entered the family fur trading business, but he later served as captain of the territorial militia during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

. After the war, Chouteau was arrested in 1817 by the Spanish during a trading expedition on the upper

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United ...

, as they considered that area under their control and excluded others from its lucrative trading. He was imprisoned in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label= Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. The name “S ...

. After being released, Chouteau continued the family trade among the Osage. He established his home in present-day

Salina, Oklahoma Salina ( ) is a town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,396 at the 2010 census, a slight decline from the figure of 1,422 recorded in 2000. History For thousands of years indigenous peoples had lived along the rivers ...

, part of the western extent of their territory. In 1832,

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

visited the post and described it in ''Tour of the Prairies''. Chouteau had children by at least four women who were at least partly Osage, fathering at least seven children by these women. He also married Sophie Labbadie, a cousin of French descent, whom he kept in St. Louis while he kept the other women on the frontier. He had at least nine children with his wife Sophie Chouteau. The two other women he was most closely associated with were Rosalie Lambert, who he had two children by, and her sister Masina Lambert, with whom he had three children. The Lamberts' mother was Osage and their father was

Metis Metis or Métis may refer to: Ethnic groups * Métis, recognized Indigenous communities in Canada and America whose distinct culture and language emerged after early intermarriage between First Nations peoples and early European settlers, primar ...

. Rosalie was born in 1809, was living with Chouteau by 1825, and she continued to live with him until his death at Fort Gibson,

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

, in 1838.Shirley Christian, ''Before Lewis and Clark: The Story of the Chouteaus, the French Dynasty That Ruled America's Frontier'' (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004) p. 306

Legacy and honors

* Chouteau, Oklahoma, is named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chouteau, August Pierre Military personnel from St. Louis 1786 births 1838 deaths People from Salina, Oklahoma United States Military Academy alumni