Daily Almanac for
Sep 3, 2005
Info search tips
Bio search tips

Encyclopedia
Lewis, Meriwether

Lewis, Meriwether, 17741809, American explorer, one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark expedition, b. near Charlottesville, Va. He was a captain in the army and served in a number of campaigns against Native Americans before becoming (1801) secretary to his friend President Jefferson. Selected to head the expedition for a land route to the Pacific Ocean, he chose William Clark as his associate. Upon that successful venture Lewis's fame rests. In 1807 he was made governor of Louisiana Territory, with headquarters at St. Louis. In 1809, while traveling to Washington to prepare the journals of the expedition for publication, he died suddenly—either by murder or suicide—in a lonely inn on the Natchez Trace. The cause of his death is still the subject of controversy.

See biography by R. H. Dillon (1968); see also bibliography under Lewis and Clark expedition.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2005, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

  • Page Tools:
    • Cite
    • Print
    • Email

See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies


Premium Partner Content
Related content from HighBeam Research on:
Meriwether Lewis
 
Additional search results provided by HighBeam Research, LLC. © Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.
Shop now and save