KENTUCKY DERBY FOUNDER – MERIWETHER LEWIS CLARK, JR.

The most exciting two minutes in sports, the Kentucky Derby! He created it! Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. Clark was the grandson of the famous William Clark, from the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the son of major Meriwether Lewis Clark, Sr., the aide de camp, and son-in-law, to General Stephen W. Kearny in the Mexican War. He was also the grandnephew of General George Rogers Clark.

His mother was Abigail Prater Churchill. Churchill is a name that millions of horse racing fans are very familiar with. The Churchill’s were one of the first families to come to Central Kentucky when they arrived, in 1787, and purchased 300 acres south of modern-day Louisville. 

Meriwether Jr.’s mother called him by the nickname, “Lutie”. When Lutie’s mother died, he went to live with his aunt, and cousins, John and Henry Churchill, who later inherited their parent’s property. They grew up wealthy and became successful businessmen. The cousins made two trips to Europe and developed a taste for horse racing. Lutie pitched his idea of a racetrack to the Churchill brothers and they allowed the land to be used for the new track. Lutie was made the manager, and he soon established the Louisville Jockey Club, which is now known as Churchill Downs.

In 1875, Lutie created the world-famous Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks Races. He was known to be a hothead at times, and there are many stories that involve guns, shooting and Lutie’s name. This type of behavior was not uncommon for the times, especially in the south. He had a tremendous contribution to horseracing, and he wrote many of the rules that still exist today, as well as creating policies, and systems important to the industry.

Unfortunately, like so many other successful men, he lost almost all of his wealth in the stock market crash of 1893. Tragically, on April 22, 1899, in Memphis, Tennessee, he committed suicide with his pistol. He is buried next to the Churchill family, in Cave Hill Cemetery, in Louisville, Kentucky. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. isn’t a name that many are familiar with, but his legacy is something that we all have heard of, the Kentucky Derby. Be sure to see the video below from his gravesite.

-Col. Russ Carson, Jr., Founder, Family Tree Nuts