African American Hero of the Day

Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable (c. 1750-1818)

Chicago Founder

Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable was reportedly born in 1750 in Haiti to a French father and African-born slave mother. It is believed that he was educated in Paris and came to North America through Louisiana or French Canada.

In the early 1770s Du Sable established the first settlement in an area which was later called Chicago. After a period away from this settlement, serving as a liaison between Native Americans and the British in St. Clair, Du Sable returned to expand the scope of the settlement. He built a poultry house, a bakery, a stable, a horse mill, a dairy, a smokehouse, and a workshop. As a frontiersman he also trapped animals and traded various goods. Because of Du Sable's efforts Chicago became a key center for commerce on the frontier.

In 1788 Du Sable married a Potawatomi woman, Kittihawa, or Catherine, and they had two children. After a failed attempt at becoming chief in 1800 Du Sable sold his holdings and moved to St. Charles, Missouri. He died, it is assumed in poverty, on August 28, 1818.

From African American Almanac: 400 Years of Triumph, Courage and Excellence by Lean'tin Bracks, (c) 2012 Visible Ink Press(R). A wealth of milestones, inspiration, and challenges met . . .