Meriwether Lewis
| Meriwether Lewis | |
|---|---|
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| 2nd Governor of Louisiana Territory | |
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In office March 3, 1807 – October 11, 1809 |
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| Appointed by | Thomas Jefferson |
| Preceded by | James Wilkinson |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Howard |
| Commander of the Corps of Discovery | |
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In office 1803–1806 |
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| President | Thomas Jefferson |
| Preceded by | Corps commissioned |
| Succeeded by | Corps disbanded |
| Private Secretary to the President | |
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In office 1801–1803 |
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| President | Thomas Jefferson |
| Preceded by | William Smith Shaw |
| Succeeded by | Lewis Harvie |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 18, 1774 Ivy, Albemarle County, Colony of Virginia |
| Died | October 11, 1809 (aged 35) Hohenwald, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Liberty Hall (Washington and Lee University), 1793 |
| Occupation | Explorer, soldier, politician |
| Signature |  |
Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark.
Their mission was to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase, establish trade with, and sovereignty over the natives near the Missouri River, and claim the Pacific Northwest and Oregon Country for the United States before European nations. They also collected scientific data, and information on indigenous nations. President Thomas Jefferson appointed him Governor of Upper Louisiana in 1806. He died of gunshot wounds in what was either a murder or suicide, in 1809.
Meriwether Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Colony of Virginia, in the present-day community of Ivy. He was the son of Lt. William Lewis of Locust Hill (1733 – November 17, 1779), who was of Welsh ancestry, and Lucy Meriwether (February 4, 1752 – September 8, 1837), daughter of Thomas Meriwether and Elizabeth Thornton, who were both of English ancestry. (Thornton was the daughter of Francis Thornton and Mary Taliaferro). After his father died of pneumonia, he moved with his mother and stepfather Captain John Marks to Georgia in May 1780. They settled along the Broad River in the Goosepond Community within the Broad River Valley in Wilkes County (now Oglethorpe County).
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Wikipedia