William Clark

Overview

At a Glance

• Established Fort Osage as a military and trading post
• Secured a treaty with the Osage Tribe, which transferred large areas to the United States
• Named peace commissioner to negotiate an end to conflicts with various Native American tribes

Personal History

William Clark served in various political and military capacities for more than 30 years. His 87 months as territorial governor almost matched the sum of all previous territorial governors. 
 
The future explorer, soldier, and territorial governor was born August 1, 1770, in Caroline County, Virginia; he was the 9th of 10 children in a planter family. Clark was too young to participate in the Revolutionary War, but five of his brothers did, including George Rogers Clark, who emerged as a well-known national figure. Following the Revolutionary War, the Clarks relocated to Kentucky, settling in 1785 near Louisville.

During the Northwest Indian War, Clark volunteered for the Kentucky militia, and in 1790, he was commissioned as a captain in the Indiana militia. Two years later, he became a lieutenant in the U.S. Army under Gen. Anthony Wayne. After serving for the remainder of the Northwest Indian War, Clark resigned his commission as a captain in 1796 to take charge of his family’s properties. 

In 1803, Clark was approached by Meriwether Lewis to co-lead the Corps of Discovery. Although Clark was promised the commission of a captain, his actual commission was as a lieutenant. However, Lewis treated Clark as an equal during their journey, and the rest of the party followed suit.

Clark walked a fine line in advancing U.S. national interest in acquiring property and exhibiting compassion for Native Americans. While he ascribed to the assimilationist position advocated by Thomas Jefferson in which Native Americans would be civilized and westernized, Clark also took steps to preserve aspects of Native American culture.

Clark died in St. Louis on September 1, 1838. He was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.

Political History

Upon returning from the West in 1806, Lewis was appointed territorial governor, and Clark was appointed brigadier general of the territorial militia and the principal U.S. Native American agent. Clark assumed his new duties in May 1807.

Clark strove to improve military readiness as periodic hostilities with Native American tribes increased at the instigation of the British. He also worked to expand trade between Americans and Native Americans. At the behest of territorial Gov. Lewis, he established Fort Osage as a military and trading post in present-day Jackson County, Missouri. He also secured a treaty with the Osage Tribe, which transferred large areas to the United States; the treaty had to be renegotiated when factions within the tribe objected, but the broad outlines of the original agreement remained in place.

During the War of 1812, Clark led an expedition into what is now Wisconsin, establishing the short-lived Fort Shelby. The Treaty of Ghent, in 1814, ended the conflict between Britain and the United States; afterward, Clark was named a peace commissioner to negotiate an end to conflicts with various Native American tribes. These treaties opened commercial opportunities in exchange for the Native Americans’ agreeing to submit to U.S. authority.

In 1813, a year before Clark became a peace commissioner, Clark was appointed governor of the Missouri Territory. When Missouri was granted statehood, Clark announced his candidacy for governor. Clark did not campaign; instead, he initially followed the practice of allowing others to advocate for him. About this time, his wife died, an event that pulled him away. Clark’s opponent, Alexander McNair, on the other hand, actively campaigned for himself, visiting inns and taverns to solicit votes. In the end, McNair’s efforts were more effective, and he defeated Clark to become the first state governor of Missouri.

Following his defeat, Clark remained in St. Louis. In 1822 he was appointed the first “superintendent of Indian Affairs”, a position he held for the remainder of his life. He continued to represent the United States in negotiations with Native Americans. He also issued licenses to traders and travelers, removed unauthorized settlers from Native American lands, ensured treaties were followed, and surveyed treaty boundaries. Clark’s long tenure also meant he was charged with implementing Pres. Andrew Jackson’s relocation policies affecting Native Americans.

Because of his long-time connections in the area, Clark had strong relationships with territory elites in St. Louis. These French and ex-patriate Americans had robust ties to the Native Americans, and they held extensive land grants and mineral rights. Many of these grants remained unconfirmed, and American administrations reviewed them well into the 19th century. The old guard conflicted with new settlers who wanted the earlier land claims rejected.

Historical Significance

William Clark is most remembered for his contribution in co-leading the Corps of Discovery expedition which ventured into the land that would one day become Missouri.

Clark County in northeast Missouri had been named for him when it was established two years before Clark’s death.