LEWIS, MERIWETIIER (1774-1809). An Ameri can explorer, born near Charlottesville. Va. He came of a well-known Virginian family, and in herited from his father a comfortable estate, hut at the time of the Whisky Rebellion in 1794 gave up farming to join the forces which the Government sent into western Pennsylvania, and at the close of the insurrection became an ensign in the Regular Army. Five years later be was promoted to the rank of captain. and in 1801 he became President Jefferson's private secre tary. When in 1803 it was decided to send an exploring expedition into the Louisiana country, for which the United States was then negotiating with France. the President accepted the prompt ly offered services of his secretary. Lewis chose as his companion Capt. William Clark (q.v.), an old army friend. The party left the Missis sippi in Slay, 1804, and proceeded up the Mis souri to its headwaters, crossed the Great Divide, and, landing on one of the tributaries of the Columbia, followed it and then the Columbia to the Pacific. After a dreary winter on the coast they returned to the United States by much the same route, and reached Saint Louis in Septem ber, 1806. (See LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION.)
As a reward for this service Congress granted Captain Lewis a tract of 1500 acres of land from the public domain, and in 1807 the Presi dent appointed him Governor of Louisiana Ter ritory. the northern part of the Louisiana Pur chase, with headquarters at the village of Saint Louis. Here he soon proved himself an able administrator. In this latter work lie was ably assisted by Captain Clark, who had been appoint ed Indian agent. His leisure moments were ocenpied with preparing for publication the ac count of his great journey; but this he was destined never to finish, for in 1809 he was called to Washington on business, and while on the way met his death in the cabin of a Tennessee pioneer. Whether his death was due to murder or suicide was not known. For biographieal sketches, con sult the works given under LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION.