Joseph Alfred "Jack" Slade, (January 22, 1831 – March 10, 1864), was a stagecoach and Pony Express superintendent, instrumental in the opening of the American West and the archetype of the Western gunslinger. Born in Carlyle, Illinois, he was the son of Illinois politician Charles Slade and Mary Dark (Kain) Slade. During the Mexican War, he served in the U.S. Army that occupied Santa Fe, 1847-48. After his father's death, Slade's mother married Civil War General Elias Dennis.