Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis, portrait by Charles Willson Peale; in Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia.
Meriwether Lewis
American explorer
Meriwether Lewis (born Aug. 18, 1774, near Charlottesville, Va. [U.S.]—died Oct. 11, 1809, near Nashville, Tenn., U.S.) was an American explorer, who with William Clark led the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the uncharted American interior to the Pacific Northwest in 1804–06. He later served as governor of Upper Louisiana Territory. Born to William Lewis and Lucy Meriwether, Meriwether Lewis grew up on Locust Hill, the family’s plantation in Ivy Creek, Va.—near Monticello, home of...