Meriwether Lewis Clark Sr.

Meriwether Lewis Clark (January 10, 1809 – October 28, 1881) was an architect, civil engineer and politician. He was also a military officer in the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. He was a son of famous explorer William Clark. Early life and career Clark was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Missouri and corps of discovery expedition leader, William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame. He was named after his father's friend and associate, Meriwether Lewis. In 1826, he was admitted to the United States Military Academy and graduated 23rd of 42 cadets in the Class of 1830. He was brevetted as a second lieutenant in the 6th U.S. Infantry and assigned to Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis. He was an officer and mapmaker in the Black Hawk War before resigning from the army in 1833. While on assignment in Louisville, Kentucky, Clark met and courted Abigail Prather Churchill (born 1817), of the prominent Churchill family (Her younger brother was Arkansas Governor Thomas James Churchill (1824-1905)). They married in January 1834 and raised seven children before her death in 1852. Their son Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. would become a prominent member of Louisville society, promoting horseracing and building, with help from his Churchill relations, the famous racetrack Churchill Downs. As a designer-architect, Clark contributed to the early architecture of St. Louis, including the design of St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church. In 1836, he was elected to the Missouri General Assembly. Four years later, he was named as the city engineer of St. Louis and later was the recorder of the city court.