Samuel Lewis (c. 1754 - 1822) was an American engraver, cartographer, draftsman, and geographer active in Philadelphia in the first of the 19th century. Though is place of birth is uncertain, most agree that Lewis emigrated from Dublin, Ireland, in the late 18th century. Lewis' earliest cartography work was produced in partnership with the well-known Philadelphia publishers Matthew Carey and Henry Schenk Tanner. In 1804, with the intention of republishing high quality English maps in the United States, Lewis partnered with the eminent British map publisher Arron Arrowsmith. Their first joint publication was A New and Elegant General Atlas, but many others followed including an American edition of Arrowsmith's important double hemisphere wall map of the world. Arrowsmith also worked with Jedidiah Morse, among other important American cartographers of the period. Ralph Brown considers Lewis to be "the most enterprising commercial map-maker of the period … " Lewis is best known for his map related to the expedition of Meriwether Lewis (no relation) and William Clark. In 1814 Lewis, copying directly from William Clark's manuscript, issued A Map of Lewis and Clark's Tracks across the Western Portion of North America. This important document was the first published map derived from the Lewis and Clark Expedition and profoundly transformed the cartography of the American northwest. Samuel Lewis of Philadelphia should not be confused with Samuel Lewis of London, another cartographer active during roughly the same period. More by this mapmaker...

Richard Phillips (December 13, 1767 - April 2, 1840) was an English author, publisher, and schoolteacher. Born in London, Phillips was a schoolteacher and bookseller in Leicester for a time before returning to London due to some 'political difficulties'. There, he established a business on Paternoster Row and founded The Monthly Magazine in 1796. In 1807 he served as Sheriff of London, at which time he was knighted. Phillips overextended his finances and declared bankruptcy during the Bank Panic of 1837. He died in Brighton. Learn More...

John Marshall (September 24, 1755 - July 6, 1835) was the longest-serving Chief Justice of the United States (1801-35). Marshall's court opinions helped establish the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches. Previously, Marshall had been a leader of the Federalist Party in Virginia and served in the United States House of Representatives from 1799 to 1800. He was Secretary of State under President John Adams from 1800 to 1801. Between 1805 and 1807 Marshall published an influential five-volume biography of George Washington. Marshall's Life of Washington was based on records and papers provided to him by the late president's family. The work reflected Marshall's Federalist principles, and is frequently praised by historians for its accuracy and well-reasoned judgments. Learn More...