Solomon Juneau, the son of a French settler, was born near Montreal in 1793. He became an agent of the American Fur Company and in 1818 was sent to Milwaukee. Working as an independent fur trader he acquired a considerable fortune. Juneau purchased large areas of land in the area and built the settlement's first store and tavern and became president of the village in 1837. Juneau, who became Milwaukee's first mayor in 1846, died in 1856.