Simon Favre

Who was Simon Favre?

Simon Favre was an interpreter of the Muskogean languages, particularly Choctaw and Chickasaw, for the French, British, Spanish and Americans in the part of West Florida that became part of the states of Mississippi and Alabama. The son of another prominent interpreter, Favre spent the late 18th century in the vicinity of Mobile and the Tombigbee River, which changed hands from French to British, and then Spanish control. He became well versed in the language and culture of the Choctaws, and was involved with several treaties between the Europeans and natives. As a young man he had a Chocktaw mistress with whom he had six known children, then at the age of 41 he was legally married in Mobile to a woman of European descent. Within a few years of his marriage, he moved with his new family from the Tombigbee area to a plantation on the Pearl River.

As the power of the Choctaws diminished, Favre became less important as an interpreter, and more important as a facilitator of the political changes occurring along the Gulf Coast. Once the Louisiana Purchase was concluded between France and the United States, American settlers from both inside and outside Spanish West Florida increased pressure on Spain for American control of the territory. While the transfer did not officially take place until 1821, the Spanish essentially put Florida under the trust of the United States in 1810, and Favre played a major role in facilitating the transfer, and keeping the Indians informed of the events. Favre was considered the top interpreter in the region by men of prominence, including Governor William C. C. Claiborne of Louisiana who made Favre a justice of the peace, and recommended him for the position of United States agent to the Choctaws. A "talk" that Favre gave to the Choctaws on the eve of the War of 1812 was touted by historian Russell Guerin as a masterpiece of diplomacy, and displayed Favre's deep understanding of the native language and culture.