Fifth in a series

Famous St. Louisans buried in Calvary

(Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series about famous St. Louisans, who are buried in local cemeteries. Information is from St. Louisan Kevin Amsler's book, "Final Resting Place: The Lives and Deaths of Famous St. Louisans.")

Calvary Cemetery in north St. Louis is another of the old-time cemeteries where many famous St. Louisans from the past are buried. Included are the Chouteaus and Lacledes who founded our city in the 1700s.

Located near Bellefontaine Cemetery, Calvary is the burial place for St. Louis' first archbishop, Peter Richard Kenrick, and Missouri's first governor, Alexander McNair.

The cemetery was established on land that Archbishop Kenrick purchased from a famous Kentucky politician, Henry Clay, in 1853. At that time, the 323-acre farm, called "Old Orchard Farm," was outside the city limits.

The urgent need for new burial grounds was the result of the devastating outbreak of cholera in St. Louis in 1849. The Catholic cemeteries in the city were filling up. Also, the city decreed cholera victims couldn't be buried inside the city limits.

If you are interested in the previous four articles in this series, you can go to Past Stories on the home page and click on October, 2006; November, 2006; December, 2006, and January, 2007.

(To buy Mr. Amsler's book, visit a local bookstore or visit www.STL-Books.com.)

The Chouteaus and Pierre Laclede

When people talk about the founding of St. Louis, the two names that come up automatically are Chouteau and Laclede. But, the names represent just one family.

Pierre Laclede and Auguste Chouteau first visited the site that would become St. Louis in December, 1763. Pierre was the stepfather of Auguste.

Pierre Laclede

Pierre was a prominent fur trader in New Orleans when Auguste was born to Rene and Marie Chouteau. But, Rene abandoned his family to return to France. A short time later, Marie met Pierre and the couple had four children.

However, Auguste and the four new children were raised with the Chouteau name since the Catholic Church didn't allow divorce or remarriage.

In August, 1763, father and stepson began a long trip up the Mississippi River exploring for new trading opportunities. One stop was at Ste. Genevieve, the first settlement west of the Mississippi.

Auguste Chouteau

Pierre and Auguste pushed further north until they reached the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. As winter came on, the two retreated to Ste. Genevieve where Pierre told the Fort Chartes commander, "I have found a situation where I am going to form a settlement which might become hereafter one of the finest cities in America."

The first construction at that site started the following spring.

By the time Pierre Laclede died in 1778, Auguste was in partnership with his half-brother, Pierre Chouteau. And St. Louis was on its way to becoming "Gateway to the West."

The number of Chouteaus are buried in Calvary Cemetery. But, the original Pierre Laclede isn't. When Pierre died in Arkansas, he was buried there in an unmarked grave. An expedition was sent to retrieve the body. But, the burial site is unknown even today.

Alexander McNair
(May 5, 1775-March 18, 1826)

Alexander McNair's father fought and died in the Revolutionary War. Alexander fought in what is called the Whiskey Revolution of 1794. He then settled in St. Louis before serving in the War of 1812.

After serving in a variety of public offices, he was named U.S. Marshal for the territory. He also was on the board of trustees for the incorporation of St. Louis.

Alexander McNair

In the first election for governor of Missouri, McNair received 72 per cent of the vote, beating out William Clark of Lewis & Clark fame.

McNair was sworn in as governor during the first session of the state legislature in downtown St. Louis.

He was governor as the state capitol moved from St. Louis to St. Charles. He left the governor's post a year before the capitol moved from St. Charles to Jefferson City.

In early 1826, McNair dies of influenza, which was at epidemic levels in Missouri.

Dred Scott
(circa 1799-September 17, 1858)

The name of Dred Scott and his legal battle against his slavery is often cited as one of the important preludes to the Civil War.

Scott came to St. Louis in 1830 as the property of Peter Blow. After Blow died, Scott was sold for $500 to Dr. John Emerson, a military surgeon stationed at Jefferson Barracks.

Emerson took Scott along when he was transferred to forts in Illinois and Minnesota, where slavery was prohibited. While in Minnesota, Emerson bought another slave, Harriet Robinson. In 1836, Dred and Harriet were married.

Dred Scott

Emerson was transferred back to St. Louis and died in 1843. The Scotts decided to sue for their freedom, citing the fact they had lived in states that banned slavery.

Two Missouri trials failed to free Scott. Later, Scott sued again in federal court. But, in a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1857, the high court said that because Scott was a slave he had no right to sue in federal court.

The trials became a rallying cry for those who sought abolition of slavery.

Scott eventually was freed after he was sold to Taylor Blow, son of Scott's original owner, Peter Blow. Taylor freed Scott from bondage in 1857 but he enjoyed his freedom for only a short time. He died in 1858.

Peter Richard Kenrick
(August 17, 1806-March 4, 1896)

Peter Richard Kenrick was born and educated in Ireland. He came to America as a priest in Philadelphia, where his brother, Francis, was a bishop. Bishop Joseph Rosati of St. Louis was impressed with Richard after a meeting.

Rosati offered Kenrick a post of coadjutor or assistant bishop. He came to St. Louis in 1841 when the St. Louis diocese had only one Catholic church in town.

Bishop Rosati died a year later and Kenrick was appointed to his spot. When St. Louis became an archdiocese, Kenrick was appointed archbishop in 1848.

He was an active Catholic leader, investing in real estate and using rental income to support Catholic Charities. One of his purchases was the farm that later became the site of Calvary Cemetery.

He was still active when the St. Louis Archdiocese celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1891. His health deteriorated five years later and he died in his sleep in March, 1896.

William Tecumseh Sherman
(February 8, 1820-February 14, 1891)

General William Tecumseh Sherman was one of the most infamous generals during the Civil War. He's the commander of the Union army that burned down Atlanta and cut a brutal path through Georgia and the Carolinas in the "March to the Sea.

Sherman had somewhat of a parallel career path with his friend, Ulysses S. Grant. Both had ups and downs during their military and civilian careers.

Sherman and Grant first met at West Point, where both were students.

General William Tecumseh Sherman

At the start of the Civil War, Sherman was superintendent of a Louisiana military school. Although he liked the South, he resigned and returned to St. Louis as president of the Fifth Street Railroad Co.

He returned to military service after the attack on Fort Sumter started the war. He fought in the first major battle of Bull Run, a Union defeat. He was wounded and had three horses shot from under him at the Battle of Shiloh.

While he was fighting, first his nine-year-old son, Willie, died of typhoid fever and then his infant son, Charles, died. Sherman had never seen Charles.

In 1883, Sherman retired from the army and again returned to St. Louis. He and his wife, Ellen, moved to New York a year after Grant's death in 1885.

Although Sherman was on the move much of his life, he, his wife and their sons are all buried in Calvary Cemetery.

Kate Chopin
(February 8, 1851-August 22, 1904)

Kate Chopin

Author Kate Chopin's early life was marked by tragedy. She was only four years old when her father, Thomas O'Flaherty, was killed along with 30 others when a railroad bridge over the Gasconade River collapsed.

Later, her half-brother, George, died of typhoid fever while serving as a Confederate soldier. A brother, Tom, was killed in a carriage accident.

Most of her Civil War years were spent writing.

In 1870, she married Oscar Chopin, moved to Louisiana and raised six children. While in the South, she embraced the Creole culture that became the setting for many later stories.

When her husband died, Kate moved back to St. Louis where she lived the rest of her life.

She was a pioneer among women authors.

Her final book, "The Awakening," told the story of a young wife and mother who had an affair with another man. She was criticized for writing on that subject but her book is now considered an American classic.

She became one of St. Louis' most well known citizens. She was listed in the first "Who's Who in America." She lived just six blocks from the 1904 World's Fair grounds and attended nearly every day. She died in August after a long day at the fair.

Robert Hannegan
(June 30, 1903-October 6, 1949)

Robert Hannegan died at the young age of 46. But during his life he was credited with keeping President Harry Truman in the White House. It took only 11 years for Hannegan to rise from local politics to key positions in Washington, D.C.

Born in St. Louis, Hannegan received his law degree from St. Louis University in 1925. In 1933, he was named a chairman of the Democratic City Central Committee. In 1940, he backed the re-nomination of then Senator Truman, who gave Hannegan credit for his narrow election victory.

Robert Hannegan

Truman was instrumental in Hannegan becoming Commissioner of Internal Revenue. With backing from then Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Truman, he became chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 1944.

In that position, Hannegan played a key role in Roosevelt's nomination for a fourth term and Truman getting the vice presidential nomination. He served as Postmaster General in Truman's presidency.

Ill health forced him to step down and return to St. Louis. But, ignoring doctor's order for total rest, Hannegan joined Fred Saigh, Jr., in purchasing the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. Hannegan became president of the club.

A week before he died, Hannegan hosted President Truman in St. Louis and attended a dinner for the president in Kansas City.