Famous Suicides Meriwether Lewis

About the famous American explorer Meriwether Lewis, history and biography of the man who committted suicide.

MERIWETHER LEWIS (1774-1809)

Life: Explorer and former governor of the Louisiana Territory, Meriwether Lewis stands as one of American history's great adventurers. President Thomas Jefferson noted that Lewis was "remarkable even in infancy for enterprise, boldness, and discretion." Governor at 33, Lewis found the office a difficult one because of the feuds between the territory's officials and political parties. Financial problems plagued Lewis, due in part to his "land speculation" investments in the new territory. Anxiety over his financial state was increased when the U.S. Government questioned the validity of his public expenditures for the territory.

Death: On his way to Washington to defend his use of government funds, Lewis stopped overnight at a log cabin in Tennessee. There he shot himself twice. He died at the age of 35. Although the majority of historians agree that Lewis's death was a suicide, a few historians say that the evidence supporting such a claim is not only inconclusive, but suggests that Lewis was murdered.

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