Charlottesville, History’s Hometown

Charlottesville has been home to countless individuals who have left their impact printed on the pages of modern-day history books.

• Nicholas Meriwether: The great-great-grandfather of Meriwether Lewis, Nicholas Meriwether originally obtained a land grant for “The Farm”, most of which eventually became Charlottesville
• Meriwether Lewis: As an American soldier, explorer, and public administrator, Lewis led the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase.
• Alexander Vandegrift: Vandegrift was a General in the US Marine Corps during World War II, and the first Marine to earn the rank of four-star general while still on active duty.
• Nicholas Trist: Trist was an American diplomat sent by President Polk to negotiate with the Mexican government during the Mexican-American. He successfully wrote and negotiated the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to end the war.
• John Mosby: Known as the “Gray Ghost”, Mosby was a Confederate cavalry battalion commander during the Civil War. Mosby’s Rangers, a ranger unit loyal to the Confederacy, was noted for its ability to elude capture by the Union army.

History in the Making

Many current and former Charlottesville residents continue to influence our country’s direction today.

• Horace Julian Bond: Former chairman of the NAACP, Bond is a social activist who played a large role in the American Civil Rights Movement.
• Lawrence Eagleburger: Former Secretary of State, Eagleburger is a statesman and diplomat who is a frequent Fox News commentator.
• Larry Sabato: Sabato is an American political scientist and analyst and director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
• Nathaniel Howell: As an educator and diplomat, Howell served as ambassador to Kuwait during the Gulf War.
• John Whitehead: Whitehead was an activist for religious and civil rights who rose to prominence when pressing the Paula Jones case against Bill Clinton.
• Philip Zelikow: Zelikow is a historian and professor at the University of Virginia who served as the executive director of the 9/11 Commission and won the Pulitzer Prize for authoring “The 9/11 Commission Report”.
• Henry Hager: Married to Jenna Bush Hager, Hager is the son-in-law of George W. Bush and a student at the Darden School of Business at UVA.