Which U.S. president commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1803?

Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1803 after the Louisiana Purchase.

Jefferson asked Congress to fund an exploratory mission to investigate the newly acquired territory and search for a practical route across the continent. He also wanted information about geography, natural resources, Native nations, and possible trade connections.

The expedition was led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. It departed from Camp Wood near present-day St. Louis in May 1804, traveled up the Missouri River, crossed the Rocky Mountains, and reached the Pacific Ocean in November 1805. The Corps of Discovery returned to St. Louis in September 1806.

The expedition did not discover an all-water passage across North America, but it mapped routes and recorded extensive scientific and cultural observations. Sacagawea, a Lemhi Shoshone woman, accompanied the party with her infant son and helped communicate with some Native communities.