Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Meriwether Lewis Randolph, a grandson of Thomas Jefferson and friend of Andrew Jackson, died of malaria at age twenty-seven. He fell ill on a trip to acquire supplies for winter. He served as the last secretary of the Arkansas Territory. Despite his strong connections with many influential families in Virginia, as well as intimate friendships with numerous U.S. presidents, Randolph chose to settle on the Arkansas frontier. He obtained thousands of acres of land in Clark County with the intent of establishing a plantation and making his residence there. His education, family, and social ties offered great promise to the new state, but his contributions were cut short by an early death.