Solomon Laurent Juneau | |
|---|---|
Laurent-Salomon Juneau | |
 Juneau in 1856 | |
| 1st Mayor of Milwaukee | |
| In office January 31, 1846 – April 1847 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Horatio N. Wells |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 9, 1793 (1793-08-09) |
| Died | November 14, 1856(1856-11-14) (aged 63) Keshena, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Calvary Cemetery,Milwaukee |
| Nationality |
|
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 17, includingNarcisse Juneau |
| Parent(s) | François and Thérèse Galerneau Juneau |
| Relatives | Joseph Juneau (cousin) |
| Occupation | Politician,fur trader,land agent |
| Known for | Helped found the city ofMilwaukee, Wisconsin. |
Solomon Laurent Juneau, orLaurent-Salomon Juneau (August 9, 1793 – November 14, 1856) was a French Canadian fur trader, land speculator, and politician who helped found the city ofMilwaukee, Wisconsin.[1][2][3] He was born inRepentigny, Quebec, to François and (Marie-)Thérèse Galarneau Juneau.[4][5]Joseph Juneau, the founder of the city ofJuneau, Alaska, was a cousin of Solomon Juneau.[6]
After landing atFort Michilimackinac in 1816, Juneau worked as a clerk in the fur trade before becoming an agent for theAmerican Fur Company in Milwaukee. He had been summoned to the Milwaukee area byJacques Vieau, a French-Canadian fur trader and the first permanent white settler inMilwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1818 Jacques Vieau hired Juneau, based on the accounting prowess Juneau had become known for, and his reputation for being able to deal well with the local native Americans. Juneau later married one of Vieau's daughters,Josette, and went on to found what was to become the City of Milwaukee.
Juneau settled an area east of theMilwaukee River called Juneautown (present-dayEast Town) in 1818, which later joined withGeorge H. Walker'sWalker's Point andByron Kilbourn's Kilbourntown (present-dayWestown) to incorporate the City of Milwaukee. With Juneau came his personal cook,Joe Oliver, aBlack Catholic believed to have been the firstAfrican American in Milwaukee history.
In 1831, Juneau began learning English and set in motion the naturalization and citizenship process. By 1835, he was selling plots of land in Juneautown. He built Milwaukee's first store and first inn, and was recognized for his leadership among newcomers to Milwaukee. In 1837 he started theMilwaukee Sentinel, which would become the oldest continuously operating business inWisconsin. He was the firstmayor of Milwaukee from 1846 until 1847, and was appointed its firstpostmaster. Solomon Juneau High School, built in 1932, is named after him. The school is located at 6415 West Mount Vernon Avenue in Milwaukee. The hour bell in the clock tower of theMilwaukee City Hall, installed in 1896, is also named after him.
In 1820, Juneau married Josette Le-Vieux, the daughter ofJacques Vieau, a fur trader for theNorth West Company who had built a trading post overlooking theMenomonee Valley years before, and his Menominee wife. Josette was the oldest of 12 children, and wasMenominee and French by ancestry.[7] Through her alliances to the tribe, and the relationships fostered through Juneau's business in fur trading, it is reported that Juneau was popular with the Menominee.[8] After the treaty of 1848 between the United States and the Menominee, he registered his wife and children ashalf-breeds of theMenominee Nation.
In 1854, Juneau and family relocated toDodge County, Wisconsin, where they founded the village ofTheresa, named after Juneau's French-Canadian mother. Josette died there in 1855; Solomon died one year later inKeshena, Wisconsin, on a visit to the Menominee tribe. He died in the arms ofBenjamin Hunkins, his "faithful friend and constant nurse."[9] Six Menominee chiefs served as pallbearers at his funeral. He is buried atCalvary Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Juneau's grandsonPaul O. Husting would be elected as a member of theUnited States Senate.[10] The property that is believed to have once been the site of Juneau's residence is now the site of theMitchell Building, listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| City incorporated | Mayor of Milwaukee January 31, 1846 – April 1847 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
