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 Culp ...

– June 5, 1843 in

St. Louis, Missouri 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 ...

) was an American fur trader and

Indian agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government. Background The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of t ...

. 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, became an American citizen who, while living on the western frontier, ...

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 various ...

, 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 Miss ...

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 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, 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 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: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

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 is home to a number of architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums such as t ...

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 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.Morton, 71, n. 2, https://books.google.com/books?id=6UXWAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover

Early life and education

Career

Marriage and family

References

Bibliography

Further reading