Charles Lucas (September 25, 1792 – September 27, 1817) was an entrepreneur and legislator in

Missouri Territory The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812, until August 10, 1821. In 1819, the Territory of Arkansas was created from a portion of its southern area. In 1821, a southea ...

who was killed in a duel with U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton.

Early life

Lucas was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and moved with his father

John Baptiste Charles Lucas John Baptiste Charles Lucas (August 14, 1758 – August 17, 1842) was a French-born member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. After meeting Benjamin Franklin, Lucas was so inspired—and so impatient with class injustices in ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, in 1805. He received a college degree from Jefferson College in 1810. Lucas engaged in considerable land speculation including buying much of the land in the wake of the

New Madrid earthquake New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

in 1811. He also received a large land grant in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

in what is now suburban St. Louis. He was the law partner to Rufus Easton in St. Louis and St. Charles and remained in this position until he was killed in a duel. He joined a volunteer Army unit in 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 bega ...

.For Which We Stand; The Life and Papers of Rufus Easton, by Bruce Campbell Adamson Portage des Sioux, Missouri After the war he served on the Legislature of the

Duel and death

In August 1817 Lucas and Benton as attorneys were opposite sides of a court case and accused each other of lying. When they encountered each other again in an August 1817 election, the 24-year-old Lucas challenged whether 35-year-old Benton owned property and could legally vote. Benton replied he owned slaves and paid taxes on them and could vote and then called Lucas according to one version an "insolent puppy." Another slightly different witness account said Benton told the judges, "Gentlemen, if you have any questions to ask, I am prepared to answer, but I do not propose to answer charges made by any puppy who may happen to run across my path." Lucas then challenged Benton on August 11 to a duel with a note, "I am informed you applied to me on the day of the election the epithet of 'Puppy.' If so I shall expect that satisfaction which is due from one gentleman to another for such an indignity." The challenge arrived to Benton after he had spent the night at the wake of his dead friend

Edward Hempstead Edward Hempstead (June 3, 1780 – August 10, 1817) was an American lawyer, pioneer, and one of the early settlers in the new Louisiana Purchase in 1805. Born in New London, Connecticut, Hempstead was the delegate in the U.S. House for the Mi ...

. Benton accepted but said that he wanted to complete the funeral. The terms of the duel called for it to be held at 6 a.m. and the shots to be fired from 30 feet. The two met on August 12, 1817, on Bloody Island. Lucas was shot in the neck and Benton was shot below the right knee. Lucas was unable to continue, and Benton subsequently released Lucas from an obligation to continue the duel. Rumors circulated questioning Benton's motives and whether Benton had deliberately set the duel rules so they were farther apart. On September 23 Benton challenged Lucas to a rematch, saying "When I released you from your engagement to return to the island, I yielded to a feeling of generosity in my own bosom, and to a sentiment of deference to the judgment of others. From the reports which now fill the country it would seem that yourself and some of your friends have placed my conduct to very different motives. The object of this is to bring these calumnies to an end, and to give you an opportunity of justifying the great expectation which has been excited. Colonel Lawless will receive your terms, and I expect your distance not to exceed nine feet." Lucas who had been in

Cape Girardeau Cape Girardeau ( , french: Cap-Girardeau ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540. The city is one of two principal citi ...

received the note on September 26 and agreed to the duel on September 27 on Bloody Island. He died within an hour after being shot. Benton extended his hand to Lucas and Lucas replied "I forgive you." Lucas' second for both duels was

Joshua Barton Joshua Barton (July 28, 1792 – June 30, 1823) was the first Missouri Secretary of State. He was involved in three duels with prominent Missouri politicians before being killed in a duel. Barton, a younger brother of Senator David Barton, was ...

, who would later also die in a duel on the island. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis. Four of Lucas' brothers were to die violently. Lucas' land went to a brother and sister and much of the land in Normandy was to wind up in the hands of explorer

Wilson Price Hunt Wilson Price Hunt (March 20, 1783 – April 13, 1842) was an early pioneer and explorer of the Oregon Country in the Pacific Northwest of North America. Employed as an agent in the fur trade under John Jacob Astor, Hunt organized and led the gre ...

References

Reminiscences of the Bench and Bar of Missouri: With an Appendix - F.H. Thomas - 1878

The Life of Thomas Hart Benton By William Montgomery Meigs - J.B. Lippincott Co. - 1904
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Charles 1792 births 1817 deaths Politicians from Pittsburgh Politicians from St. Louis Members of the Missouri Territorial Legislature Duelling fatalities American politicians killed in duels Washington & Jefferson College alumni Deaths by firearm in Missouri Burials at Calvary Cemetery (St. Louis) 19th-century American politicians