词条 | Clark, William |
释义 | Clark, William American explorer born Aug. 1, 1770, Caroline county, Va. 【U.S.】 died Sept. 1, 1838, St. Louis, Mo. ![]() The ninth of John and Ann (Rogers) Clark's 10 children, Clark was born on the family's tobacco plantation in Virginia. In 1785 the family relocated to Louisville, Ky., lured there by tales of the Ohio Valley told by William Clark's older brother, George Rogers Clark (Clark, George Rogers), one of the military heroes of the American Revolution. Like his brother, William Clark was swept up into the American Indian conflicts of the Ohio frontier, joining the militia in 1789 before enlisting in the regular army. In 1792 U.S. President George Washington commissioned him a lieutenant of infantry. Under General Anthony Wayne, Clark helped build and supply forts along the Ohio River and commanded the Chosen Rifle Company, which participated in the Battle of Fallen Timbers (Fallen Timbers, Battle of) (1794). ![]() ![]() ![]() In Missouri's inaugural gubernatorial election following its attainment of statehood, Alexander McNair defeated Clark. President Monroe appointed Clark superintendent of Indian affairs at St. Louis in 1822. In that capacity Clark exercised jurisdiction over existing western tribes and eastern nations being removed west of the Mississippi River. He expressed sympathy for those uprooted tribes and promoted their interests as he understood them. Nevertheless, he agreed with and implemented the policy of Indian removal, negotiating 37, or one-tenth, of all ratified treaties between American Indians and the United States. Over the course of his career, millions of acres passed from Indian to U.S. ownership by Clark's hand. Among his duties, Clark issued trading licenses, removed unauthorized persons from Indian country, and confiscated illegal alcohol. He extended patronage to American fur traders, artists, and explorers who, in turn, assisted him in his mission by establishing friendly relations with numerous tribes. Clark and Secretary of War Lewis Cass (Cass, Lewis) wrote a report that resulted in the revision of the Trade and Intercourse Acts and the reorganization of the entire Indian Bureau in 1834. Clark was also a patron of the arts, and he supported the establishment of schools, the growth of banks, and the incorporation of cities. He invested in real estate and railroads, maintained one of the first museums in the West, and promoted other economic and cultural endeavours in the St. Louis area. Clark was a devoted family man and a valued friend. He and his wife, Julia Hancock, had five children. (He named his eldest son Meriwether Lewis.) The year after his wife's death in 1820, Clark married Harriet Kennerly Radford, a widow with three children, and fathered two more sons. A generous man, Clark served as legal guardian for Sacagawea's children, cared for numerous relatives, and offered assistance to religious groups, missionaries, explorers, and travelers. On the other hand, Clark treated his slave York harshly upon their return from the expedition, although he claimed to have eventually freed him. See also Lewis and Clark Expedition. Additional Reading William E. Foley, Wilderness Journey: The Life of William Clark (2004), is the best biography. Landon Y. Jones, William Clark and the Shaping of the West (2004), examines how Clark both influenced and was affected by the forces of his day. James J. Holmberg (ed.), Dear Brother: Letters of William Clark to Jonathan Clark (2002), provides insight into Clark's personality and his relationship with his slave York. |
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