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Birth
Meriwether Lewis was born at the Lewis family estate, Locust Hill, in Albemarle County, VA. His parents were Lucy Meriwether and William Lewis. -
Early Life
Meriwether Lewis first got to go to school when he was thirteen years old. He graduated in 1793 from Washington and Lee University. Lewis graduated after having no formal education. -
The Virginia Militia
Meriwether Lewis joined the Virginia militia. He helped put down the Whisky Rebellion. It was one of the first jobs Lewis got assigned to when he first joined the militia. -
Lewis joined the Army
Lewis was commissioned as an Ensign after the Whisky Rebellion. He became a captain in 1800 and was served in the Ohio Valley and Northwest Territory. He met William Clark there, who was one of Lewis's commanding officers. -
Lewis gets a promotion
On April 1, 1801, Merriwether Lewis got appointed by President Thomas Jefferson to be his personal secretary. When Lewis accepted the job, he moved to the mansion. His job there was to compile information on politics of the U.S. Army -
Lewis starts the expedition
Thomas Jefferson chose Lewis to lead an expedition of the Pacific Northwest lands near the Missouri River, west of the Mississippi. Jefferson wanted a direct communication route across the new lands and he wanted to know about the resources available there. He asked Lewis to lead the first transactional expedition. -
Lewis and Clark meet Sacagawea
Meriwether Lewis chose William Clark to go on the expedition with him. During the expedition, Lewis and Clark met Sacagawea. She was the daughter of a Shoshone Chief. Lewis and Clark invited her on their expedition as a Shoshone interpreter. -
The end of the expidition
Lewis and Clark finished their expedition and came back. They returned from the Pacific Ocean. From their trip, they brought back information of the maps they made of the new land and they also brought information on the new animals and plants they discovered. -
Lewis was appointed Governor
After Lewis and Clark were back from their expedition, Lewis got appointed as Governor of the Louisiana Purchase Territory. President Thomas Jefferson appointed him and rewarded with 1,600 acres of land. Lewis also published the Corps of Discovery journals which are the discoveries he made during the expedition. -
Lewis petitioned
Meriwether Lewis petitioned to request permission to establish St. Louis lodge. The lodge got warranted and Lewis was recommended to serve as the first Master. -
Lewis wrote a letter
Meriwether Lewis set out to go to the Capitol to assist on fixing the bad drafts of his journals from the expedition. He wrote the journals when he was Governor. Lewis also wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson the day before he died. -
Death
Meriwether Lewis died on October 11, 1809, in Nashville, Tennessee. Lewis was found with a gunshot wound but it's undiscovered if it was murder or suicide. Lewis was buried in an unmarked grave.
