John Baptiste Charles Lucas
Encyclopedia
John Baptiste Charles Lucas (August 14, 1758 – August 17, 1842) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
.
John B. C. Lucas was born in Pont-Audemer
, Normandy
, France
. He attended the Honfleur
and Paris
Law Schools, and graduated from the law department of the University of Caen in 1782. He practiced law in France until 1784, when he immigrated to the United States
, settled near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. He engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Lucas was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from 1792 to 1798. He served as judge of the Court of Common Pleas
in 1794.
Lucas was elected as a Republican to the Eighth
and Ninth
Congresses and served until his resignation in 1805, before the assembling of the Ninth Congress. He moved to St. Louis
(then part of the Louisiana Territory
), having been appointed district judge for United States District Court for the District of Louisiana (which became Missouri Territory
in 1812), and served from 1805 until 1820, when he resigned. He also served as commissioner of land claims of northern Louisiana from 1805 to 1812. He resumed agricultural pursuits and died near St. Louis in 1842. Interment in Calvary Cemetery
.
While in Missouri he donated land in downtown St. Louis in 1816 for a courthouse
that is now part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
. When courthouse was abandoned in 1930 as the court functions relocated to larger quarters, his descendents fought unsuccessfully to get the courthouse back. The Gateway Arch arches over the courthouse.
Five of Lucas' sons were to die violently, including Charles Lucas
, who was killed in a duel with Senator Thomas Hart Benton
.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
John B. C. Lucas was born in Pont-Audemer
Pont-Audemer
Pont-Audemer is a commune in the Eure department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Population:-Sights:The commune was spared substantial damage to its historic buildings during the Battle of Normandy. Nowadays the half-timbered buildings and the canals running between them are a...
, Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He attended the Honfleur
Honfleur
Honfleur is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Law Schools, and graduated from the law department of the University of Caen in 1782. He practiced law in France until 1784, when he immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, settled near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. He engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Lucas was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
from 1792 to 1798. He served as judge of the Court of Common Pleas
Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas
The Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania .The Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the state....
in 1794.
Lucas was elected as a Republican to the Eighth
8th United States Congress
- Senate :* President: Aaron Burr * President pro tempore: John Brown , October 17, 1803 – February 26, 1804** Jesse Franklin , March 10, 1804 – November 4, 1804** Joseph Anderson , January 15, 1805 – December 1, 1805- House of Representatives :...
and Ninth
9th United States Congress
- Senate :* President: George Clinton * President pro tempore: Samuel Smith - House of Representatives :* Speaker: Nathaniel Macon -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
Congresses and served until his resignation in 1805, before the assembling of the Ninth Congress. He moved to St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
(then part of the Louisiana Territory
Louisiana Territory
The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805 until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed to Missouri Territory...
), having been appointed district judge for United States District Court for the District of Louisiana (which became Missouri Territory
Missouri Territory
The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812 until August 10, 1821, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Missouri.-History:...
in 1812), and served from 1805 until 1820, when he resigned. He also served as commissioner of land claims of northern Louisiana from 1805 to 1812. He resumed agricultural pursuits and died near St. Louis in 1842. Interment in Calvary Cemetery
Bellefontaine and Calvary Cemeteries
Bellefontaine Cemetery and the Roman Catholic Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri are adjacent burial grounds, which have numerous historic and extravagant tombstones and mausoleums. They are the necropolis for a number of prominent local and state politicians, as well as soldiers of the...
.
While in Missouri he donated land in downtown St. Louis in 1816 for a courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
that is now part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is in St. Louis, Missouri, near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was designated as a National Memorial by Executive Order 7523, on December 21, 1935, and is maintained by the National Park Service .The park was established to...
. When courthouse was abandoned in 1930 as the court functions relocated to larger quarters, his descendents fought unsuccessfully to get the courthouse back. The Gateway Arch arches over the courthouse.
Five of Lucas' sons were to die violently, including Charles Lucas
Charles Lucas (Missouri)
Charles Lucas was an entrepreneur and legislator in Missouri Territory who was killed in a duel with U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton.-Early life:...
, who was killed in a duel with Senator Thomas Hart Benton
Thomas Hart Benton (senator)
Thomas Hart Benton , nicknamed "Old Bullion", was a U.S. Senator from Missouri and a staunch advocate of westward expansion of the United States. He served in the Senate from 1821 to 1851, becoming the first member of that body to serve five terms...
.