Lewis and Clark Facts

Meriweather Lewis and William Clark were American explorers famous for taking the first American expedition to cross what is now the western portion of the United States, departing in May 1804, from near St. Louis on the Mississippi River, making their way westward through the continental divide to the Pacific coast. See the fact file below for more information on Lewis and Clark.

Meriweather Lewis

Name
Meriwether Lewis

Place of Birth
Virginia

Birth Family
Lt. William Lewis and Lucy Meriwether

Marriage/Spouse
Never Married

Education
Educated by private tutors. He graduated from Liberty Hall
(now Washington and Lee University).

Career
American explorer, soldier and politican

Reason for Fame
Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803 to 1805 across the
Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific Ocean.

Additional Information
For many years, Lewis’ legacy was overlooked, inaccurately assessed,
and even tarnished by his alleged suicide. Yet his contributions to science,
the exploration of the Western U.S. and the lore of great world explorers,
are considered incalculable.

William Clark

Name
William Clark

Place of Birth
Virginia

Birth Family
John and Ann Rogers Clark

Marriage/Spouses
First wife was Julia Hancock. Second wife was Harriet Kennerly Radford

Children
Clark had five children from his first wife: Merriwether Lewis Clark, Sr.(named after his friend, Merriwether Lewis); William Preston Clark; Mary Margaret Clark, George Rogers Hancock Clark and John Julius Clark. After his wife’s death in 1920, he married her first cousin, Harriet Kennerly Radford and they had three children: Jefferson Kearny Clark, Edmund Clark and Harriet Clark.

Education
No formal education; tutored at home

Career
American explorer, soldier, Indian agent and territorial governor

Reason for Fame
Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803 to 1805 across the
Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific Ocean.

Additional Information