Meriwether Lewis
Born August 18, 1774 (Albemarle County, Virginia)
Died October 11, 1809 (Nashville, Tennessee)

William Clark
Born August 1, 1770 (Caroline County, Virginia)
Died September 1, 1838 (St. Louis, Missouri)

Explorers, governors

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are two of the most celebrated heroes in American history for leading an extraordinary expedition. With some for tycrewmembers, known as the Corps of Discovery, they journeyed by boat, canoe, horseback, and foot for three years in uncharted territory from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Pacific Northwest coast and back. President Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826; served 1801–9; see entry in volume 1) sent them to explore and map the new American lands, find a route to the Pacific Ocean, establish an American presence in the...