Lewis, Meriwether 1774-1809
US explorer

Born near Charlottesville, Virginia, he joined the army and in 1792 led an unsuccessful expedition up the Missouri River. In 1801 he became personal secretary to President Thomas Jefferson, and was invited with his long-time friend William Clark to lead an expedition (1804-06) to explore the vast unknown lands to the west of the Mississippi. It was to become the first overland journey across North America to the Pacific coast, and one of the longest transcontinental journeys ever undertaken. Considered a triumph for the young nation, the Lewis and Clark expedition strengthened US claims to the Oregon Territory and spurred settlement of the West. Lewis was appointed Governor of the Louisiana Territory in 1806, but only three years later while travelling to Washington he died in a shooting incident in a cabin in Tennessee.

Bibliography: John Logan Allen, Lewis and Clark and the Image of the American Northwest (1991); Richard H Dillon, Meriwether Lewis: A Biography (1965);