Meriwether Lewis, a diplomat, explorer, scientist, governor, soldier, and the official leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, has been called “undoubtedly the greatest pathfinder this country has ever known.”
Born near Charlottesville, Virginia, to William and Lucy Meriwether Lewis, faced the world with opportunity and advantage. After William died in 1781, Lucy remarried and moved the family to Georgia when Meriwether was ten. At thirteen, he was sent back to Virginia for education by private tutors. He also began to manage his family’s estate. Upon the death of his stepfather, Lewis, not yet out of his teens, became the head of a household that included his mother and four siblings.
Later, he joined the Virginia militia and, in 1794, participated in putting down the Whiskey Rebellion. The next year he joined the regular army, in which he continued to serve until 1801, reaching the rank of captain. During this time, he met and befriended one of his commanding officers, William Clark.
