Meriweather Lewis

Name
Meriwether Lewis  

Date of Birth
August 18, 1774

 Date of Death
October 11, 1809 

Place of Birth
Virginia 

Birth Family
Lt. William Lewis and Lucy Meriwether 

Marriage/Spouse
Never Married 


Education
Educated by private tutors.  He graduated from Liberty Hall
(now Washington and Lee University. 

Career
American explorer, soldier and politican 

Reason for Fame
Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803 to 1805 across the
Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific Ocean. 

Additional Information
For many years, Lewis’ legacy was overlooked, inaccurately assessed,
and even tarnished by his alleged suicide.  Yet his contributions to science,
the exploration of the Western U.S. and the lore of great world explorers,
are considered incalculable.   

William Clark

Name
William Clark 

Date of Birth
August 1, 1770
 
Date of Death
September 1, 1838 

Place of Birth
Virginia

 Birth Family
John and Ann Rogers Clark 

Marriage/Spouses
First wife was Julia Hancock.  Second wife was Harriet Kennerly Radford 

Children
Clark had five children from his first wife: Merriwether Lewis Clark, Sr.(named after his friend, Merriwether Lewis); William Preston Clark; Mary Margaret Clark, George Rogers Hancock Clark and John Julius Clark.  After his wife’s death in 1920, he married her first cousin, Harriet Kennerly Radford and they had three children: Jefferson Kearny Clark, Edmund Clark and Harriet Clark. 

Education
No formal education; tutored at home 

Career
American explorer, soldier, Indian agent and territorial governor 

Reason for Fame
Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803 to 1805 across the
Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific Ocean. 

Additional Information
In 2001, President Bill Clinton posthumously increased Clark’s US Arm rank to Captain.  

A Timeline of the Trip
Chinook Indians
Clark, William
Colter, John
Discovery Lewis & Clark
Follow in the Footsteps of Lewis & Clark
Fort Clatsop National Memorial
Go West Across America with Lewis & Clark
Journals of Lewis & Clark
Lewis & Clark in Idaho 
Lewis & Clark in Pittsburgh: The Starting Point
Lewis & Clark National Historical Trail
Lewis & Clark Online Base Camp 
Lewis & Clark: Fort Clatsop
Lewis & Clark: Native Americans
Lewis & Clark: The Maps of Exploration
Lewis, Merriweather
National Geographic: Lewis & Clark
Private Pierre Cruzatte
Sacagawea
Seamon: Their Dog
Shoshone Indians
The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
Wikipedia – Merriwether Lewis – Biography
Wikipedia – William Clark – Biography