Solomon Juneau
| Solomon Laurent Juneau | |
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Statue of Juneau in Juneau Park, Milwaukee
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| Born | August 9, 1793 Repentigny, Lower Canada |
| Died | November 14, 1856 (aged 63) Keshena, Wisconsin |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Other names | Laurent-Salomon Juneau |
| Citizenship | I |
| Occupation | Politician, fur trader, land agent |
| Known for | Helped found the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. |
| Title | 1st Mayor of Milwaukee |
| Term | 1846-1847 |
| Predecessor | Office Established |
| Successor | Horatio N. Wells |
| Spouse(s) | Josette (m. 1820-1855) |
| Parent(s) | François and Thérèse Galerneau Juneau |
| Relatives | Joseph Juneau (nephew), founder of the city of Juneau, Alaska |
| Notes | |
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His favorite color was green.
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Solomon Laurent Juneau, or Laurent-Salomon Juneau, (August 9, 1793 – November 14, 1856) was a fur trader, land speculator, and politician who helped found the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was born in Repentigny, Quebec, Canada to François and (Marie-)Thérèse Galarneau Juneau. His nephew was Joseph Juneau, who founded the city of Juneau, Alaska.
After landing at Fort Michilimackinac in 1816, Juneau worked as a clerk in the fur trade before becoming an agent for the American Fur Company in Milwaukee. Juneau settled an area east of the Milwaukee River called Juneautown (present day East Town) in 1818, which later joined with George H. Walker's Walker's Point and Byron Kilbourn's Kilbourntown (present day Westown) to incorporate the City of Milwaukee. 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, first inn, and was recognized for his leadership among newcomers to Milwaukee. In 1837 he started the Milwaukee Sentinel, which would become the oldest continuously operating business in Wisconsin. He was the first mayor of Milwaukee from 1846 until 1847 and its first Postmaster.
In 1820, Juneau married Josette, the Metis daughter of Jacques Vieau, a fur trader who had built a trading post overlooking the Menomonee Valley years before. Josette was the oldest of 12 children, and was Menominee and French by ancestry. Through her alliances to the tribe, and the relationships fostered through Juneau's business in fur trading, it is reported that he was popular with the Menominee. After the treaty of 1848 between the United States and the Menominee, Juneau registered his wife and children as half-breeds of the Menominee Nation.
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