Chouteau, Auguste

Chouteau, (René) Auguste

(baptized Sept. 7, 1749, New Orelans—died Feb. 24, 1829, St. Louis, Mo., U.S.) American fur trader and cofounder of St. Louis. He moved to Missouri Territory with his mother and Pierre Liguest (1724?–78), with whom he later cofounded St. Louis in 1764. The two men built a prosperous fur trade, which Chouteau later expanded. By 1794 he had a monopoly on the trade with the Osage and helped finance most of the fur-trading companies in Louisiana Territory. He became the unofficial banker to the St. Louis community and its largest landowner.