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William Clark was a striking man, with shocking red hair and a muscular build that reached 6 feet tall. Raised a Virginian gentleman, Clark was the ninth child in a family of 10. His older brothers were Revolutionary War veterans and included the famed General George Rogers Clark who is credited with winning control of the Northwest Territory. After the war, the family moved to present-day Louisville, Ky.ill
At 19, Clark joined the Kentucky Militia, marking the beginning of his military career and the continuance of a family tradition. The young Clark learned to build forts and draw maps. He fought Indians and spied on the Spanish. It was during these years that Clark met his future partner in discovery, Lewis, a young ensign assigned to him. The two men developed a lasting friendship and respect for each other.
Although they didn’t keep in touch in the years afterwards, Clark clearly made an impression on the young Lewis. When Lewis was faced with choosing which men would come with him, Clark was first and foremost in his mind. The two men’s skills balanced each other perfectly, leading Lewis to offer Clark a rare co-command with the Corps of Discovery. Clark’s skills as a cartographer, for example, were indispensable. The maps he made would be used for years to come.
From the moment the two men re-connected, their dedication to each other was unwavering. They handpicked the best frontiersmen from the Indiana-Kentucky area. Clark also brought York, his slave, along for the journey.
Many months later, before setting off from St. Louis, Lewis received heartbreaking news: The government would not grant Clark a co-command, choosing instead to bestow a second lieutenant rank. Lewis and Clark never revealed this to the men, who continued to call Clark “captain.” For the entire journey, the two men worked together as leaders, an unusual arrangement in the military.
The men, given up for dead, returned to much fanfare. As Lewis and Clark made their way east, toward Washington, D.C, congratulatory dinners awaited them at every hamlet. It was during this trip, while in Virginia, Clark sought out Julia Hancock whom he’d named a river after in Montana. They quickly were married and named their firstborn Meriwether Lewis Clark, in honor of the two explorers' historic friendship.
For Clark’s service, the U.S. government awarded him double play and 1,600 acres of land. President Jefferson also offered a double appointment — Brigadier General of the Militia and Principal Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Territory of the Upper Louisiana.
St. Louis became Clark’s new home, where he became a partner in the Missouri Fur Company, which planned to develop the fur industry along the river. He also was named Governor of the Missouri Territory. Shortly after Julia tragically died at 28, he married Harriet Kennerly Radford, also a widow.
Although defeated in the newly-formed state’s first election for governor, Clark remained extremely well respected, particularly among Native Americans who affectionately called him their “red-headed chief.” Perhaps unusual for his time, Clark had a deep and abiding respect for Native Americans. That he honored their culture and traditions is clear. His efforts at peace and understanding between the new settlers and the Native Americans were not continued by the government after his death, at age 69. | 
