Jean Baptiste Charbonneau

Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (February 11, 1805 – May 16, 1866) was an American explorer and guide, fur trapper and trader, military scout during the Mexican-American War, alcalde (mayor) of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, and a gold prospector and hotel operator in California. He spoke French and English, and learned German and Spanish during his six years in Europe from 1823 to 1829. He also spoke Shoshone and other western American Indian languages, which he picked up during his years of trapping and guiding.

Jean Baptiste was the son of Sacagawea, a Shoshone, and her French-Canadian owner Toussaint Charbonneau, who worked as a trapper and interpreter for the Lewis and Clark Expedition; he was born while they were traveling. He was taken by his parents as an infant across the country. The Expedition co-leader William Clark and other European Americans nicknamed the boy Little Pomp or Pompy. He lived with Clark in St. Louis, Missouri as a boy, where he attended St. Louis academy. Clark paid for his education.

Charbonneau's image appears with that of his mother on the United States Sacagawea dollar silver coin. He is the only child ever depicted on United States currency. Pompeys Pillar on the Yellowstone River in Montana and the community of Charbonneau, Oregon are named for him.