George Vancouver was a British naval officer who spent many years exploring and surveying the northwestern Pacific coast of North America, as well as the Hawaiian Islands and the southwest coast of Australia. He had trained under the premier English navigator of the time, James Cook. In 1795, he completed a circumnavigation of South America. His name was given to two cities, one in British Columbia, Canada, and one in the U.S state of Washington. Additionally, two mountains, one in North America and one in New Zealand, were named after him, as were Vancouver Island and the Vancouver River, both in British Columbia.
Vancouver did his share of naming things, replacing the names used by local people for various landmarks, often with the names of his friends, colleagues, and his ship. These include Mount Hood, Puget Sound, Mount St. Helen's, Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, Port Gardner, Port Susan, Whidbey Island, Discovery Passage, Discovery Island, Discovery Bay, Port Discovery and Discovery Park, Orford Reef, and several others.
Vancouver got along well with the indigenous people in the areas he visited, and also had cordial relations with the Spanish explorers of the time. He seems to have bypassed the Columbia and Fraser rivers, but his charts and maps were generally excellent, although his longitudinal readings were often wrong.
After his return to England, Vancouver
faced controversies and public humiliation. Prominent people who had disputes with him harassed him and attacked him in the press. One disagreement led to a street fight.
In poor health after his years at sea, Vancouver apparently could not withstand the stress of his damaged reputation and seemingly endless controversies. He died at age 40.
"The Deadly Sins Dominated by Death" (1904), James Ensor
