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 unicy ...

performer and circus owner most famous for being a partner in the Circus of Pépin and Breschard. The Circus of Pépin and Breschard 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 () 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 their being ''C ...

who fought for the Americans in their

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

, was born in Albany,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Victor was taken by his father to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 1793 and returned to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

with Jean Breschard in 1807. Pépin was the probable cause of a riot centered on his circus in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

in 1824. In 1833, he was a member of John Charles Beales's Rio Grande Colony which helped colonize

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

.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 New Albany Township, 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 ...

in an unmarked grave at Fairview Cemetery.

External links

*
Olympians of the Sawdust CircleCharles 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 American circus owners American expatriates in France 19th-century American businesspeople