Antoine Le Claire (also "LeClaire"; December 15, 1797 – September 25, 1861) was a
US Army interpreter, landowner in
Scott County, Iowa, and
Rock Island County, Illinois, businessman, philanthropist and principal founder of
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...
.
Biography
Early life
Le Claire was born on December 15, 1797, in present-day
St. Joseph, Michigan
St. Joseph, colloquially known as St. Joe, is a city and the county seat of Berrien County, Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,365. It lies on the shore o ...
, then in the
Northwest Territory
The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...
. His father, François Le Claire, was
French Canadian
French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
and came to the Americas with
Lafayette. His mother was a
Native American from the
Pottawatomie
The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...
tribe.
His father, Francois, opened a trading post in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he traded with several Native American tribes. François supported the side of the
United States during the
War of 1812. In spite of this he was captured by the territorial militia at his trading post in
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...
, and held as a prisoner in
Alton, Illinois. While his father was imprisoned, Antoine met General
William Clark who was impressed with Le Claire's faculty with languages; Clark sent Antoine to school to learn proper English, and he entered government service. Le Claire spoke English, French, Spanish and a dozen Native American dialects.
He came to
Fort Armstrong in 1818 where he became the interpreter for Col.
George Davenport. A short time later he moved to Peoria, where he met and married his wife Marguerite LePage in 1820. She was born on October 16, 1802, in
Portage des Sioux,
St. Charles County, Missouri
St. Charles County is in the central eastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 405,262, making it Missouri's third-most populous county. Its county seat is St. Charles. The county was organized Octo ...
. She was the daughter of a French Canadian, Antoine LePage, and the granddaughter of the
Sac
SAC or Sac may refer to:
Organizations Education
* Santa Ana College, California, US
* San Antonio College, Texas, US
* St. Andrew's College, Aurora, Canada
* Students' Administrative Council, University of Toronto, Canada
* SISD Student Activiti ...
chief Acoqua. After Peoria the Le Claires spent a short time in
Arkansas where he observed the movements of Native Americans before moving back to Fort Armstrong in 1827.
Landowner
In 1832, at the end of the
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...
, Le Claire was present at the peace treaty signing as an interpreter. Sac and
Mesquakie territories west of the
Mississippi River were purchased by the United States government. Because he was respected by the Native Americans, the Le Claires were given three parcels of land. One of the parcels was at the head of the Rock Island Rapids on the west side of the river. The second was given to Marguerite by
Keokuk, the Sac chief. It was also located on the west side of the river and had been the location of the Mesquakie village.
[ Keokuk stipulated that Le Claire build a house on the spot where the peace treaty was signed, or lose the land. After the United States Congress approved the peace treaty in 1833, Le Claire built a house, known as the Treaty House.][ The third parcel of land was given by the ]Potawatomi
The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...
e on the Illinois side of the river where present day Moline, Illinois, is situated.
Le Claire was named the postmaster and the justice of the peace in 1833. His jurisdiction included all the lands that had been included in the Black Hawk Purchase
The Black Hawk Purchase, also known as the Forty-Mile Strip or Scott's Purchase, extended along the West side of the Mississippi River from the north boundary of Missouri North to the Upper Iowa River in the northeast corner of Iowa. It was fif ...
.[ He was responsible for resolving disputes between the Native Americans and the white settlers. He generally took a hands-off approach which the independent-minded settlers found appealing.] In 1834 he established the area's first ferry service across the river.[ LeClaire also served as Black Hawk's translator when the Sac warrior wrote his memoirs.][
]
Davenport
George Davenport gathered a group of investors at his home on February 23, 1836, to create a company in order to develop a new town. It was to be located on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River opposite the town of Stevenson, Illinois, which is now the city of Rock Island. Antoine Le Claire was part of the group. While he owned a great deal of land, he did not have a great deal of money. The other investors paid him $1,750 for the site that now lies between the river and Seventh Street and between Harrison Street to just past Warren Street.[
While Le Claire was the driving force in the development of Davenport, the town was not named for him. Not only did he not have enough money to develop buildings on the land, but he was also a half-breed with a French surname and a devout Catholic. The other investors had English surnames, money to invest and government contracts. George Davenport also failed to have his name attached to the new town across the river (Stevenson), and so the town on the Iowa side of the river was named after him.][
Le Claire had the town laid out in the conventional fashion of a grid pattern of 36 squares. Three of the squares were set aside for public squares: Lafayette Square, which is a public park today; Bolivar Square, site of the Scott County Courthouse; and Washington Square, present site of the downtown YMCA.] The levee along the river was also left open for public use. The east–west streets but one were named for Native American tribes: Sac, Fox (another name for the Mesquakie), Ottawa, Chippewa, and Potawatomie. Later those streets would be renamed Second through Sixth Streets. Front Street, now River Drive, was along the levee. The north–south streets retain their original names: Ripley, Scott, Western, Gaines, Brown and Warren.
Businessman
Le Claire joined with George Davenport to develop the first public house in the area, which was named the Le Claire House.[ He also established the first foundry in the young town, and with A. C. Fulton he built the first mill. He was involved with a group of investors who brought the railroad to Davenport in the 1850s.][ On his property north of the Rock Island Rapids Le Claire owned and operated a sandstone quarry. Stone from this quarry was used for the Clock Tower on Rock Island Arsenal, the first buildings on the ]Augustana College Augustana College may refer to:
*Augustana College (Illinois)
*Augustana University Sioux Falls, South Dakota
*Augustana University College, Alberta
See also
*Augustana Divinity School (Neuendettelsau)
The Augustana-Hochschule Neuendettelsau is ...
campus in Rock Island, and the abutments on the Government Bridge.
Philanthropy
When the first addition was made to Davenport, Le Claire set aside one of the squares for a Catholic church. In April 1837 he joined with the missionary priest Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli
Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, O.P. (November 4, 1806 – February 23, 1864) was a pioneer Italian Dominican friar and Catholic missionary priest who helped bring the church to the Iowa-Illinois-Wisconsin tri-state area. He founded several parishes ...
to lay the cornerstone for the original St. Anthony's Church. The title to the property, named Church Square, was deeded to Bishop Mathias Loras of Dubuque
Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...
in 1839 to support the Catholic Church in Davenport. Because of this support Davenport was named a See City
See or SEE may refer to:
* Sight - seeing
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Music:
** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals
*** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See''
** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho
* Television
* ...
with its own bishop in 1881.[ When the church decided to establish a third parish in Davenport, Le Claire donated another square on a bluff on the east side of the city for St. Marguerite's, also called St. Margaret's. The LeClaires also built and furnished the rectory, and provided financial support for building the new church.][ Le Claire donated property two miles outside of Davenport for St. Marguerite's Cemetery.] Both St. Anthony's and St. Marguerite's were named in honor of the LeClaires for their generosity.[ Antoine LeClaire had also been a member of the St. Anthony's choir, where he played the bass viol. While they were devout Catholics their generosity was not limited to the Catholic Church. LeClaire also provided the land for the initial First Baptist Church, Edwards Congregational, and other churches.][
The Le Claires' philanthropy existed in other areas of society as well. He donated Bolivar Square to Scott County, which sealed Davenport's attempt to be named the county seat. In 1846 he donated the land for the establishment of Iowa College, which eventually left Davenport and became Grinnell College. In 1855 he built a new house and donated the Treaty House to the ]Mississippi and Missouri Railroad
The Mississippi and Missouri Railroad (M&M Railroad) was the first railroad in Iowa. It was chartered in 1853 to build a line between Davenport, Iowa, on the Mississippi River and Council Bluffs, Iowa, on the Missouri River.Dix, John Adams. Speech ...
and it became Davenport's first railroad station. The LeClaires hosted members of the Sac and Mesquakie tribes, who camped on their estate and were allowed to stay as long as they liked.[
]
Later life and death
The Le Claires had no children of their own. When his half brother Alexis died in 1849 Antoine and Marguerite informally adopted his son Louis. He even introduced Louis to former President Millard Fillmore as "my boy."[
During the ]Panic of 1857
The Panic of 1857 was a financial panic in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph by Samuel F. Morse in 1844, the Panic of 1857 was ...
many banks in the Midwest failed, and the Cook and Sargent Bank in Davenport appeared to be in danger. Le Claire called for calm among the citizens of Davenport and to keep their money in the bank. He assured them the bank was secure and guaranteed its safety with his own money. The bank, however, failed for other reasons and Le Claire still made good on his promise. The strain may have hastened his death.[
Antoine Le Claire died on September 25, 1861. His funeral was held in St. Marguerite's Church and he was buried in the church yard.][ The Rev. ]J.A.M. Pelamourgues
Jean-Antoine-Marie Pelamourgues (1811–1875) was a French missionary who was one of the first Roman Catholic priests to serve in the Diocese of Dubuque in the state of Iowa. He served as the first pastor of St. Anthony's Church in Davenport, Io ...
from St. Anthony's presided at the funeral with two other priests.[ The Rev. John Donlan preached the funeral sermon. Marguerite Le Claire died on October 18, 1876, and was buried next to her husband. When ]Sacred Heart Cathedral Sacred Heart Cathedral may refer to:
Africa
*Sacred Heart Cathedral, Moundou, Chad
*Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bamako, Mali
*Sacred Heart Cathedral, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
*Sacred Heart Cathedral, Freetown, Sierra Leone
*Sacred Heart Cathedra ...
was built in 1891, and St. Marguerite's was torn down, the Le Claires' bodies were moved to St. Marguerite's Cemetery, now Mount Calvary Cemetery.[
]
Legacy
Numerous places in the Quad City area of Iowa and Illinois are named for Le Claire. They include:
* Le Claire, Iowa, established on LeClaire's property above the Rock Island Rapids
**Le Claire Township, Scott County, Iowa
Le Claire Township is a township in Scott County, Iowa, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,263.
Geography
Le Claire Township covers an area of and contains one incorporated settlement, Le Claire. According to the USGS
T ...
* LeClaire Hotel, Moline, Illinois
*LeClaire Park
LeClaire Park is a public park located along the Mississippi River in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is situated between two other riverfront parks: Centennial Park on the west and River Heritage Park, a new park that is being devel ...
, Davenport
*LeClaire Street, Davenport
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Claire, Antoine
1797 births
1861 deaths
People from St. Joseph, Michigan
People from Davenport, Iowa
Potawatomi people
American city founders
Interpreters
American people of French-Canadian descent
American people of the Black Hawk War
Philanthropists from Illinois
19th-century translators
19th-century American philanthropists