John Baptiste Charles Lucas
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John Baptiste Charles Lucas (August 14, 1758 – August 17, 1842) was a French-born member of the
Biography
Lucas was born in
Lucas was a member of the
In the early 1800s, newly-elected President Thomas Jefferson appointed Lucas to a secret mission to St. Louis and New Orleans. Lucas reported directly to the president on the sentiments of the Spaniards in those cities toward the United States, in preparation for Jefferson's efforts at westward expansion.[3]
With strong support from President Jefferson,
While in Missouri, Lucas donated land in downtown St. Louis in 1816 for a courthouse (known as the Old St. Louis County Courthouse) that is now part of the Gateway Arch National Park. When the courthouse was abandoned in 1930 as the court functions relocated to larger quarters, his descendants fought unsuccessfully to get the courthouse back. The Gateway Arch frames the view of the courthouse from the Mississippi River.
Lucas died near St. Louis in 1842. He was buried at
References
- ^ "The Lucas Family: A Recent Echo of a Grand Past". St. Louis Magazine. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
- ^ "John B. C. Lucas's Obituary on St. Louis Post-Dispatch". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
- ^ a b Gaston, Joseph. Centennial History of Oregon, volume 1. (wikisource link).