William Clark

William Clark
Portrait by Charles Willson Peale, c. 1810
4th Governor of Missouri Territory
In office
July 1, 1813 – September 18, 1820
Appointed byJames Madison
Preceded byBenjamin Howard
Succeeded byAlexander McNair
Superintendent of Indian Affairs
In office
1822 – September 1, 1838
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byThomas L. McKenney
Personal details
Born(1770-08-01)August 1, 1770
Ladysmith, Colony of Virginia
DiedSeptember 1, 1838(1838-09-01) (aged 68)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Spouses
  • Julia Hancock
    (m. 1808; died 1820)
  • Harriet Kennerly Radford
    (m. 1820; died 1831)
Relations
Children6, including Meriwether Lewis Clark, Sr.
Occupation
  • Soldier
  • explorer
  • politician
Signature
Military service
Branch/serviceInfantry
Artillery
Years of service1792–1796
1804–1807
RankLieutenant
Second lieutenant, First lieutenant
UnitLegion of the United States
Regiment of Artillerists
CommandsCorps of Discovery
Battles/warsBattle of Fallen Timbers

William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor.[1] A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Missouri.

Along with Meriwether Lewis, Clark led the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804–1806 across the Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific Ocean, the first major effort to explore and map much of what is now the Western United States and to assert American claims to the Pacific Northwest.[2] 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.

  1. ^ Jones, Landon Y. (2004). William Clark and the Shaping of the West. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0809030415.
  2. ^ Miller, Robert J. (2006). Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and Manifest Destiny. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 108. ISBN 978-0275990114.