Meriwether Lewis | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Charles Wilson Peale, c. 1807 | |
| 2nd Governor of the Louisiana Territory | |
| In office March 3, 1807 – October 11, 1809 | |
| Appointed by | Thomas Jefferson |
| Preceded by | James Wilkinson |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Howard |
| Commander of the Corps of Discovery | |
| In office 1803–1806 | |
| President | Thomas Jefferson |
| Preceded by | Corps commissioned |
| Succeeded by | Corps disbanded |
| Private Secretary to the President | |
| In office 1801–1803 | |
| President | Thomas Jefferson |
| Preceded by | William Smith Shaw |
| Succeeded by | Lewis Harvie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 18, 1774 Locust Hill Plantation, Albemarle County, Colony of Virginia (now Ivy, Virginia) |
| Died | October 11, 1809 (aged 35) Hickman County, Tennessee, U.S. (now near Hohenwald, Tennessee) |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
| Occupation | Explorer, soldier, politician |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Infantry |
| Years of service | 1795–1807 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Legion of the United States 1st United States Infantry Regiment |
| Commands | Corps of Discovery; see above. |
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.[1] President Thomas Jefferson appointed him Governor of Upper Louisiana in 1806.[2][3] He died in 1809 of gunshot wounds, in what was either a murder or suicide.
- ^ Fritz, Harry W. (2004). The Lewis and Clark Expedition. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 59. ISBN 0-313-31661-9
- ^ Fenelon, James V.; Defender-Wilson, Mary Louise (August 24, 2023). "Voyage of Domination, "Purchase" as Conquest, Sakakawea for Savagery: Distorted Icons from Misrepresentations of the Lewis and Clark Expedition". Wíčazo Ša Review. 19 (1): 85–104. doi:10.1353/wic.2004.0006. JSTOR 1409488. S2CID 147041160.
- ^ Miller, Robert J. (2008). Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and Manifest Destiny. Bison Books. p. 108. ISBN 9780803215986.