Lucien B. Maxwell
| Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 14, 1818 Kaskaskia, Illinois |
| Died | July 25, 1875 (aged 56) Fort Sumner |
| Resting place | Old Fort Sumner Cemetery 34°24′13″N 104°11′37″W / 34.40361°N 104.19361°W |
| Occupation | Rancher and entrepreneur |
| Spouse(s) | Luz Beaubien |
Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell (September 14, 1818 - July 25, 1875) was a rancher and entrepreneur who at one point owned more than 1,700,000 acres (6,900 km2). Along with Thomas Catron and Ted Turner, Maxwell was one of the largest private landowners in United States history.
Maxwell was born in Kaskaskia, Illinois, the son of Hugh Maxwell, an Irish immigrant, and Odile Menard, daughter of Pierre Menard, a French Canadian fur trader who had served as the first Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. Lucien Maxwell learned something of the fur trading business from his grandfather during his early teens. And, like his famous grandfather, Maxwell left home at the age of fifteen and traveled west. His father, Hugh Maxwell, had died that year, in 1834, and Lucien was ready to seek his fortune. He encountered and became fast friends with Kit Carson, who was almost nine years older. Both were to sign up with John C. Frémont in 1841 for western expeditions, with Carson serving as guide, and Maxwell as chief hunter.
In 1844 he returned to Taos, New Mexico, where he married Carlos Beaubien's daughter, Luz Beaubien. It was a dual wedding as Carson also married. In 1843 Beaubien and his partner, Guadalupe Miranda, had received a land grant of a million acres (4,000 km²) in northeast New Mexico. Beaubien's wedding gift to Maxwell was 15,000 acres (61 km2).
In 1847, Maxwell was at Fort Bent when Governor of New Mexico Charles Bent was killed in the Taos Revolt. Maxwell's wife survived but her brother (Beaubien's son), Narciso Beaubien was killed. Miranda was wounded and fled to Mexico. Maxwell began more active management of the land grant.
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