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Victor Adolphus Pépin (March 8, 1780 – 1845) was an American
circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...
performer and circus owner most famous for being a partner in the
Circus of Pépin and Breschard The equestrian theatre company of Pépin and Breschard, American Victor Pépin and Frenchman Jean Baptiste Casmiere Breschard, arrived in the United States of America from Madrid, Spain (where they had performed during the 1805 and 1806 seasons), ...
. The
Circus of Pépin and Breschard The equestrian theatre company of Pépin and Breschard, American Victor Pépin and Frenchman Jean Baptiste Casmiere Breschard, arrived in the United States of America from Madrid, Spain (where they had performed during the 1805 and 1806 seasons), ...
can thus be considered the first American circus and Pépin the first American circus impresario.


Biography

Victor Adolphus Pépin, the eldest son of André Pepin, a
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
who fought for the Americans in their
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
against the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
, was born in Albany,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. Victor was taken by his father to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in 1793 and returned to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
with Jean Breschard in 1807. Pépin was the probable cause of a riot centered on his circus 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 ...
in 1824. In 1833, he was a member of John Charles Beales's Rio Grande Colony which helped colonize
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
.Ludecus, Eduard and Brister, Louis E, ''John Charles Beales's Rio Grande Colony'' Texas State Historical Society, 2008 Victor Pépin was a participant in the circus business from at least 1805 until 1831. He died in 1845 and is buried at
New Albany, Indiana New Albany is a city in Floyd County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River, opposite Louisville, Kentucky. The population was 37,841 as of the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Floyd County. It is bounded by I-265 ...
in an unmarked grave at Fairview Cemetery.


External links


The Circus in America: 1793-1940Charles Beales's Rio Grande Colony By Eduard Ludecus, Louis E. Brister
by William L. Slout


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pepin, Victor American circus performers American male equestrians 1780 births 1845 deaths Businesspeople from Albany, New York Circus owners American expatriates in France 19th-century American businesspeople