William Clark
| William Clark | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 4th Governor of Missouri Territory | |
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In office July 1, 1813 – September 18, 1820 |
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| Appointed by | James Madison |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Howard |
| Succeeded by | Alexander McNair |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 1, 1770 Ladysmith, Colony of Virginia |
| Died | September 1, 1838 (aged 68) St. Louis, Missouri |
| Spouse(s) | Julia Hancock (1808–1820; her death) Harriet Kennerly Radford (1820–1831; her death) |
| Relations | General Jonathan Clark (brother) General George Rogers Clark (brother) Ann Clark Gwatmey (sister) Captain John Clark (brother) Lieutenant Richard Clark (brother) Captain Edmund Clark (brother) Lucy Clark Croghan (sister) Elizabeth Clark Anderson (sister) Frances "Fanny" Clark O'Fallon Minn Fitzhugh (sister) |
| Parents | John Clark III, Ann Rogers Clark |
| Occupation | soldier, explorer, politician |
| Signature |  |
William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in prestatehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Missouri. Clark was a planter and slaveholder.
Along with Meriwether Lewis, Clark helped lead the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 to 1806 across the Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific Ocean, and claimed the Pacific Northwest for the United States. Before the expedition, he served in a militia and the United States Army. Afterward, he served in a militia and as governor of the Missouri Territory. From 1822 until his death in 1838, he served as Superintendent of Indian Affairs.
William Clark was born in Caroline County, Virginia, on August 1, 1770, the ninth of ten children of John and Ann Rogers Clark. His parents were natives of King and Queen County, and were of English and possibly Scots ancestry. The Clarks were common planters in Virginia, owners of modest estates and a few slaves, and members of the Anglican Church.
Clark did not have any formal education; like many of his contemporaries, he was tutored at home. In later years, he was self-conscious about his convoluted grammar and inconsistent spelling—he spelled "Sioux" 27 different ways in his journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition—and sought to have his journals corrected before publication. The spelling of American English was not standardized in Clark's youth, but his vocabulary suggests he was well read.
Clark's five older brothers fought in Virginia units during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), but William was too young. His oldest brother, Jonathan Clark, served as a colonel during the war, rising to the rank of brigadier general in the Virginia militia years afterward. His second-oldest brother, George Rogers Clark, rose to the rank of general, spending most of the war in Kentucky fighting against British-allied American Indians. After the war, the two oldest Clark brothers made arrangements for their parents and family to relocate to Kentucky.
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Wikipedia