The Journey of Lewis and Clark Lewis was a United States explorer and administrator. Lewis and William Clark led an expedition to explore uncharted lands in America from 1804 to 1806. They traveled several thousand miles from St. Louis to Pacific Ocean and back. Lewis was born near Charlottesville, Virginia. In 1794 he joined a local militia to put down the Whiskey Rebellion, after that he joined the regular army. He became President Thomas Jefferson's private secretary from 1801 to 1803. After the expedition, Jefferson appointed Lewis the governor of Louisiana Territory in 1807. Lewis died in 1809 from an unknown cause travelin