Meriwether Lewis was born Aug. 18, 1774, on a plantation near Charlottesville, Va. Thomas Jefferson, a neighbor, was a friend of the family. Meriwether studied with private tutors, hunted, and learned nature lore. In 1794 he served in the militia during the Whiskey Rebellion. The next year he fought against Native Americans in the Northwest Territory. Between campaigns he lived in the wilderness and learned Native American languages and customs.

Soon after Jefferson became president, Lewis became his private secretary. They often discussed the exploration of a land route to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis was eager to lead the expedition. Congress, at Jefferson's request, appropriated $2,500, the sum Lewis estimated was needed. Jefferson asked Lewis to choose a companion officer, and Lewis selected William Clark of Louisville. The success of the expedition was due to the combined abilities of the two leaders.

In 1807, following the completion of the expedition, Jefferson appointed Lewis governor of the Louisiana Territory, with headquarters in St. Louis. Lewis was an excellent administrator, but his service in his new position was brief. In 1809 he started on a trip to Washington, D.C. On the morning of October 11 he was found shot to death at an inn in Tennessee, an apparent suicide.