58 William Clark Facts About The Former Territorial Governor

William Clark was a very famous figure at the beginning of the 19th century.

At this time, he was one of the only two notable figures in the Lewis and Clark expedition. He led a very successful discovery corps.

William Clark was born in Caroline county of Virginia. He was one of the ten children that the Clark family comprised of. He was, in fact, the ninth one amongst them. What is interesting about William Clark is that it wasn't just him who served the country. His elder brother was also a very famous Revolutionary War hero, which added to the merit of the Clark family. Clark served in the local militia before he decided to let go of his military career. Eventually, Clark was given the opportunity to work as an American explorer. He also served as the governor of Missouri, a very new state back then. Please keep reading to learn more about William Clark and his expeditions and Louisiana territory.

Fun Facts About William Clark

William Clark is one of the best-known American explorers from the 19th century. He and Meriwether Lewis together led the Lewis and Clark expedition, commissioned by the president. President Thomas Jefferson also later awarded William Clark dearly.

William Clark was born in Caroline county of Virginia.

He was part of a huge family and was the ninth of ten children.

Clark's brothers were all very well educated.

They were masters of natural sciences, literature, and history.

William Clark grew up on his family's plantation in Virginia.

He also briefly took care of the plantation.

His brother, George Rogers Clark, was a Revolutionary War hero.

His job, at this time, was based upon Native American affairs.

William Clark was briefly part of the local militia.

This military troop was responsible for keeping the Native Americans in check.

He fought Native Americans in the Ohio valley.

This troop was also responsible for finding new ways to the Pacific Ocean.

Clark eventually became the president of Missouri.

Missouri became an official state in 1820.

At this time, Clark wanted to become governor but wasn't elected for the role.

He was an army officer for a brief period.

William Clark met Meriwether Lewis in the army, and this is where their friendship grew.

This friendship was so strong that Lewis thought of Clark when he was commissioned for the expedition.

Even though Clark was not given the highest rank, both Clark and Lewis worked hand in hand and eventually became exceedingly successful in their endeavors.

During the expedition, Meriwether Lewis treated Clark as an equal.

Eventually, the entire expedition was placed under Clark's command due to a particular turn of events.

William Clark was very successful in his expedition with Meriwether Lewis.

For this reason, President Jefferson made him the principal agent of Louisiana territory.

He also became the brigadier general.

Facts About William Clark's Governance

William Clark had a very successful professional career. Even though he was not as well read as the rest of his siblings, Clark was very diligent in his work and made sure that he took care of the matters entrusted to him.

William Clark joined the Kentucky militia before joining the army.

He eventually rose to the rank of an officer in the US Army.

This is also where he became friends with Meriwether Lewis.

He was asked to join the expedition by Meriwether Lewis in 1803, to which Clark agreed.

As the superintendent of Indian Affairs, he was responsible for removing unauthorized persons from the Indian regions, confiscating illegal objects and alcohol, and issuing trading licenses.

By the end of his career, he successfully traded large chunks of land from the Indians to the United States.

Facts About William Clark's Family

William Clark was born on a plantation in Virginia and had nine siblings. All of them are well educated and successful in their careers.

Clark and his family moved to Kentucky when he was just a teenager.

William Clark's elder siblings got formal education, but he and the other younger children did not.

This is because the Clark family started expanding towards the west from Virginia.

They first moved to Louisville and then to Kentucky.

For this reason, Clark was not well-read.

This was also visible in his letters, which had a lot of spelling and grammatical errors.

These letters were written while he was on an expedition with Meriwether Lewis.

Clark's elder brother, George Rogers Clark, served in the army.

This was an extra push for Clark as he joined the militia and then the army.

However, Clark resigned to take care of the plantation before being picked for the expedition.

He was deeply influenced by Meriwether Lewis and hence, named his eldest son after him.

He had five children with his first wife.

He was also a legal guardian for Sacagawea's children.

He had two more sons with his second wife, Harriet Kennerly.

Clark was described as a very generous man by his associates and family members.

He enslaved a person named York, who he treated very badly.

It is claimed that William Clark eventually set York free.

President Jefferson made William Clark superintendent of Indian Affairs after the expedition was successfully concluded.

William Clark died in 1838 in Missouri territory. At this time, Missouri had become an official state of the United States of America.

Facts About William Clark's Expedition

The William Clark expedition or the Lewis and Clark expedition was very successful. President Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis for this expedition, hoping that more knowledge would be gathered regarding Louisiana territory.

Former President Jefferson commissioned Lewis and Clark's expedition.

At the beginning of the 19th century, President Jefferson bought Louisiana territory from France.

Understandably, he wanted to understand this place and its surroundings.

Hence, the expedition was started hoping that crucial things would be discovered regarding Louisiana territory.

Lewis and Clark split their troops during this expedition and led their own ventures.

Lewis went through the Mississippi river, while Clark and his men understood more about the Missouri River.

They traveled from Yellowstone to the Missouri River.

This expedition would also serve to find a passable route to the Pacific Ocean.

Finding such a convenient route to the Pacific Ocean was a very important factor for trade and commerce.