Captain George Vancouver (1757-1798)

Born in 1757, George Vancouver was an English officer of the British Royal Navy. He is best known for his expedition (1791-1795) which lead him to explore North America’s northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including contemporary British Columbia, Alaska, Washington and Oregon. He was also the first European to enter the Burrard Inlet in 1792.

Robin Fisher, Vice President of Mount Royal University in Calgary states:

“He [Vancouver] put the northwest coast on the map...He drew up a map of the north-west coast that was accurate to the 9th degree, ‘to the point it was still being used into the modern day as a navigational aid. That’s unusual for a map from that early of a time.”

What we know as Vancouver Island, Vancouver, British Columbia, Washington, US were all named after him. Vancouver died in 1798 at the age of 40. His grave lies in St. Peters churchyard in Surrey, England.