Joshua Pilcher (March 15, 1790 in

Culpeper County, Virginia Culpeper County is a county located along the borderlands of the northern and central region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 52,552. Its county seat and only incorporated community is ...

– June 5, 1843 in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

) was an American

fur trader The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

and

Indian agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the U.S. government. Agents established in Nonintercourse Act of 1793 The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the Un ...

. After the death of

Manuel Lisa Manuel Lisa, also known as Manuel de Lisa (September 8, 1772, in New Orleans Louisiana (New Spain) – August 12, 1820, in St. Louis, Missouri), was a Spanish citizen and later American citizen who, while living on the western frontier, became a ...

in 1820, Pilcher became the owner and president of the

Missouri Fur Company The Missouri Fur Company (also known as the St. Louis Missouri Fur Company or the Manuel Lisa Trading Company) was one of the earliest fur trading companies in St. Louis, Missouri. Dissolved and reorganized several times, it operated under variou ...

, based in St. Louis. He was appointed US Superintendent for Indian Affairs (1838-1843) in the region after

William Clark William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Misso ...

Early life and education

Pilcher was born in

. When he was five, his family moved to Lexington, Kentucky. Later, during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, Pilcher moved to Saint Louis, a thriving town based on fur trading, located on the Mississippi River.

Career

He entered hatmaking in St. Louis. Then he became interested in the

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

, the chief driver of the St. Louis economy. In 1819, he expanded his business to include fur trading, becoming a partner in the

. This had been started by French Creole families in St. Louis, and was later managed solely by Manuel Lisa. After Lisa'a death in 1820, Pilcher bought the company. In 1838,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...

appointed Pilcher as the US Superintendent of Indian Affairs at St. Louis. He served in that position until his death.Morton, 71. Believed to have been wealthy at his death, Pilcher owned real estate and more than 150 slaves. His relatives were surprised at his will, which did not mention most of his holdings and was not what they expected from such a businessman. They were never able to solve the estate issues. Pilcher was first buried at Christ Church Cemetery, according to his will. After it was closed, a friend had his remains reinterred at

Bellefontaine Cemetery Bellefontaine Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery and arboretum in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1849 as a rural cemetery, Bellefontaine has several architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums such as the Louis Su ...

Marriage and family

Pilcher married an "Indian woman," which was quite common for fur traders on the antebellum frontier. Her name was Poporine Barada. They had several children, including a son named John Pilcher. Poprine died when John was little and Joshua did not want to care for him. John was raised by Big Elk, the Omaha Chief.

Early life and education

Career

Marriage and family

References

Bibliography

Further reading