Meriwether Lewis
Sign in to saveAmerican explorer (1774-1809)
Key facts
- Appointed by
- Thomas Jefferson
- Preceded by
- James Wilkinson
- Succeeded by
- Benjamin Howard
- President
- Thomas Jefferson
- Born
- ( 1774-08-18 ) August 18, 1774, Locust Hill Plantation, Albemarle County , Colony of Virginia (now Ivy, Virginia )
- Died
- October 11, 1809 (1809-10-11) (aged 35), Hickman County, Tennessee , U.S. (near modern Hohenwald, Tennessee )
- Cause of death
- Gunshot wounds
- Occupation
- Explorer, soldier, politician
- Allegiance
- Virginia , United States
- Branch service
- Virginia Militia , United States Army
- Years of service
- 1794 (Virginia Militia) , 1795–1807 (Regular Army)
- Rank
- Captain
- Unit
- Legion of the United States , 1st United States Infantry Regiment
- Commands
- Corps of Discovery ; see above.
- Battles wars
- Whiskey Rebellion
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Family name
- Lewis
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- Ivy
- Place of death
- Hickman County
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Participant in
- Lewis and Clark Expedition
- Image
- Meriwether Lewis-Charles Willson Peale.jpg
Show 11 more facts
- Commons category
- Meriwether Lewis
- date of birth
- 1774-08-18
- date of death
- 1809-10-11
- Commons gallery
- Meriwether Lewis
- name in native language
- Meriwether Lewis
- cause of death
- gunshot wound
- P6944
- Meriwether Lewis
- described by source
- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
- Commons Creator page
- Meriwether Lewis
- collection items at
- Natural History Museum
- member of
- American Philosophical Society
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~31 min read
Encyclopedic overview
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. President Thomas Jefferson appointed him Governor of Upper Louisiana in 1806. He died in 1809 of gunshot wounds, in what was either a murder or suicide.
Life and work
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Meriwether Lewis” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.