Marie-Therese Bourgeois Chouteau

Marie-Thérèse Bourgeois Chouteau (January 14, 1733 – August 14, 1814) is the matriarch of the Chouteau fur trading family which established communities throughout the Midwest. She is considered the "Mother" of St. Louis, and was influential in its founding and development, in essence, helping lead to its becoming an important American town and the Gateway to the West.

She was born in New Orleans on January 13, 1733. She had a French father (Nicolas Bourgeois) and Spanish mother (Marie Joseph Tarare). Shortly after she turned six years old, her father died, leaving her mother, her two siblings, and herself. The following year, Marie-Therese's mother remarried to a man named Nicholas Pierre Carco. She lived with her mother and stepfather until her marriage, and it is thought that she returned to their household when her marriage fell apart four years later.

At the age of 15, Marie-Therese married tavern keeper and baker René Auguste Chouteau, Sr., on September 20, 1748. This arrangement was made by her family, with everyone expecting that the marriage would be successful. According to commonly-accepted histories, René deserted her after she gave birth to René Auguste Chouteau, Jr., in 1749. Upon being deserted by Rene, Marie-Therese referred to herself as a Widow as it gave her more rights. As a widow, she could own property and have custody over her children.

She began a relationship with Pierre Laclède around 1755. With him, she had four children: Jean Pierre Chouteau in 1758, Marie Pelagie (1760), Marie Louise (1762), and Victoire (1764).

After Laclede (along with his stepson and her son with Rene, Auguste Junior) established St. Louis, Missouri in 1764, Marie-Therese traveled with her other four children to the new, developing colony. At first, she lived with all the other settlers at the trading post. However, Laclede is said to have built her a house in 1767. During this time, she kept busy, owning cattle, keeping bees, and conducting business.

A few years later, the elder René Chouteau demanded that authorities return her to New Orleans. In 1774 Louisiana Governor Luis de Unzaga ordered her to return. However she did not and the order was ignored until the elder Chouteau died in 1776. Though this freed her from her marriage and allowed her to marry Laclede, Marie-Therese refrained from doing so. At this time, Laclede had fallen into a lot of debt, and though she loved him, she did not want to be legally responsible for paying off his creditors after his death, an event that happened soon after.

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