U.S. #3856
2004 37¢ William Clark
Issue Date: May 14, 2004
City: Astoria, OR and various cities
Quantity: 20,000,000
Printed By: Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd
Printing Method: Lithographed, engraved
Perforations: Serpentine die cut 10 ½ x 10 ¾
Color: Red and multicolored

William Clark was born on August 1, 1770, in Caroline County, Virginia, the youngest brother of Revolutionary War general George Rogers Clark. He joined militia units fighting on the Ohio frontier in 1789 and later earned a commission as a lieutenant in the United States infantry, gaining valuable wilderness and leadership experience before resigning his commission in 1796 to manage his family's estate. In 1803, his old Army friend Meriwether Lewis invited him to help lead an ambitious expedition through the newly acquired Louisiana Territory, and Clark accepted without hesitation.

Clark and Lewis shared command of the Corps of Discovery, though the War Department had denied Lewis's request for Clark to hold equal rank, a discrepancy the two men kept hidden from the rest of the expedition by referring to each other as captain. The expedition departed in May 1804, and while Lewis brought scientific expertise to the journey, Clark's skill as a mapmaker and his ability to connect with the men proved equally vital to the mission's success. Clark's detailed maps of the western territories remained the most accurate available until the 1840s, and his journals, along with Lewis's, offered one of the most vivid records of the American frontier before large scale settlement transformed it.

Following the expedition's triumphant return in 1806, Clark settled in St. Louis, where President Jefferson appointed him brigadier general of the territorial militia and a federal Indian agent for the West. He went on to serve as governor of Missouri Territory from 1813 to 1820 and later as superintendent of Indian affairs at St. Louis, a position he held until his death on September 1, 1838. This stamp, issued alongside a companion stamp honoring Meriwether Lewis, marked the bicentennial of the expedition's launch, recognizing Clark's lasting contributions as an explorer, mapmaker, and territorial leader during a pivotal period of American westward expansion.

U.S. #3856
2004 37¢ William Clark
Issue Date: May 14, 2004
City: Astoria, OR and various cities
Quantity: 20,000,000
Printed By: Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd
Printing Method: Lithographed, engraved
Perforations: Serpentine die cut 10 ½ x 10 ¾
Color: Red and multicolored

William Clark was born on August 1, 1770, in Caroline County, Virginia, the youngest brother of Revolutionary War general George Rogers Clark. He joined militia units fighting on the Ohio frontier in 1789 and later earned a commission as a lieutenant in the United States infantry, gaining valuable wilderness and leadership experience before resigning his commission in 1796 to manage his family's estate. In 1803, his old Army friend Meriwether Lewis invited him to help lead an ambitious expedition through the newly acquired Louisiana Territory, and Clark accepted without hesitation.

Clark and Lewis shared command of the Corps of Discovery, though the War Department had denied Lewis's request for Clark to hold equal rank, a discrepancy the two men kept hidden from the rest of the expedition by referring to each other as captain. The expedition departed in May 1804, and while Lewis brought scientific expertise to the journey, Clark's skill as a mapmaker and his ability to connect with the men proved equally vital to the mission's success. Clark's detailed maps of the western territories remained the most accurate available until the 1840s, and his journals, along with Lewis's, offered one of the most vivid records of the American frontier before large scale settlement transformed it.

Following the expedition's triumphant return in 1806, Clark settled in St. Louis, where President Jefferson appointed him brigadier general of the territorial militia and a federal Indian agent for the West. He went on to serve as governor of Missouri Territory from 1813 to 1820 and later as superintendent of Indian affairs at St. Louis, a position he held until his death on September 1, 1838. This stamp, issued alongside a companion stamp honoring Meriwether Lewis, marked the bicentennial of the expedition's launch, recognizing Clark's lasting contributions as an explorer, mapmaker, and territorial leader during a pivotal period of American westward expansion.