Meriwether Lewis - biography.

Meriwether Lewis - biography. American explorer Date August 18, 1774 Baptized Death October 11, 1809 Place of Albemarle County, Virginia Birth Known For Leading, with William Clark, the first overland exploration of the American West and Pacific Northwest Opening the American West to exploration and settlement Milestones 1794 Helped to put down the Whiskey Rebellion as a member of the Virginia militia Late 1790s Fought Native Americans in the Ohio Valley under the command of General Anthony Wayne; served briefly in the same company as William Clark, who later joined him in the western expedition 1801-1803 Was employed as President Thomas Jefferson's personal secretary 1803 Agreed to lead an expedition through the Louisiana Territory to the Pacific Ocean based on Jefferson's instructions to find the Northwest Passage and increase all areas of knowledge about this portion of the continent May 1804 Embarked on the expedition; served as naturalist, making notes about the region's plants and animals November 1805 Reached the mouth of the Columbia River on the Pacific coast September 1806 Returned to St. Louis, where he and Clark were received as heroes 1807 Appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory by President Jefferson October 11, 1809 Died probably by suicide, the apparent result of depression Did You Lewis and Thomas Jefferson were friends and neighbors in Virginia. Know Only one member of the 1804-1806 expedition died during the journey. Lewis's first name is the maiden name of his mother, Lucy Meriwether. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.