Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 October 11, 1809) was anAmerican explorer, soldier,

politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark
Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark.
Their mission was to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase, establish trade with,
and sovereignty over the natives near the Missouri River, and claim the Pacific
Northwest and Oregon Country for the United States before European nations. They also
collected scientificdata, and information on indigenous nations.[1] President Thomas
Jefferson appointed him Governor of Upper Louisiana in 1806.[2][3] He died of gunshot wounds in what
was either a murder or suicide, in 1809.
Contents
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1Life and work

o

1.1The Expedition

1.2Return and gubernatorial duties

1.3Freemasonry

1.4Lewis and slavery

2Death
o

2.1Circumstances

2.2Later analyses

3Memorials

4Legacy

4.1Coins

4.2Postage stamps

4.3Flora and fauna

4.4Geographic names

4.5Vessels

4.6Academic institutions

4.7Popular culture
5Ancestry

6Footnotes

7References

8External links