Antoine Le Claire

Antoine LeClaire was the principal founder of Davenport, Iowa. LeClaire was born on December 15, 1797 in St. Joseph, Michigan. His father was a French-Canadian and his mother was a Native-American Pottawatomie. Antoine LeClaire was at the Black Hawk War treaty in 1832. The United States purchased the Sac and Fox territories West of the Mississippi. During the proceedings, the Sac chief Keokuk, donated land to Antoine’s wife, Marguerite LaPage. She was the granddaughter of another Sac chief, Acoqua. The land was donated on the condition that Antoine build his home on the exact spot where General Winfield Scott signed the treaty. The Sacs and Fox then gave Antoine the land where the town of LeClaire, Iowa now stands. The Pottawatomies gave him land on the Illinois side of the river, where the city of Moline now stands. In the spring of 1833, after Congress ratified the Black Hawk Treaty, LeClaire began building a small log house on the site of the treaty. This was replaced later by a small white house called "The Treaty House".

In 1832, Antoine along with several other men, including Colonel George Davenport, planned a town to be built on the Iowa side of the Mississippi across from Fort Armstrong.LeClaire suggested the town be named after George Davenport. LeClaire's generosity built much of the town, including several churches of assorted denominations and many public buildings. His donations of land helped Davenport win the position of county seat over Rockingham. In 1833, he was appointed the first postmaster of Davenport, and also the first Justice of the Peace. Antoine LeClaire died on September 25, 1861 and was buried on the grounds of St. Marguerite’s Church, a church he had donated land and money to build.