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MERIWETHER LEWIS Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) was born in Albemarle county, Virginia, into a distinguished family of plantation owners. Both of his parents were of Welsh descent. His father, an ardent patriot, served in the Revolutionary War. Lewis early showed an aptitude for both frontier life and intellectual pursuits, and spent most of his young adulthood serving in the army. In 1801, shortly after being elected President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson invited Lewis to serve as his personal secretary and aide-de-camp. After selecting Lewis to command what became known as the Corps of Discovery, Jefferson sent him to Philadelphia to receive training from the leading scientists of the day in zoology, botany, mineralogy, celestial navigation, and medicine. Lewis was also responsible for planning, organizing, and supplying the expedition. On the journey, he demonstrated outstanding abilities as a naturalist, ably describing flora and fauna of the country and collecting and preparing specimens. Following the expedition, Jefferson appointed Lewis Governor of the Louisiana Territory. In addition, Jefferson charged him with writing and publishing the official account of the expedition. Unfortunately, in 1809, Lewis died under somewhat enigmatic circumstances at a roadside inn while en route from St. Louis to Washington. |
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Native American Objects and the American Quest for Commerce and Science Peabody Museum of Archaeology and
Ethnology, Harvard University |
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