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 Charles W. Slade and Mary Dark (Kain) Slade. During the Mexican War he served in the U.S. Army that occupied Santa Fe, 1847-48. He married Maria Virginia (maiden name unknown) around 1857.