Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin was a distinguished British Royal Navy officer, Arctic explorer, and colonial administrator whose career spanned several major historical events of the early nineteenth century. He began his military service during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 before transitioning to polar exploration, where he would secure his legacy.
Franklin's early exploratory career was defined by two significant expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and across the islands of the Arctic Archipelago. He commanded the Coppermine expedition of 1819 and later led the Mackenzie River expedition of 1825. Between his periods of northern exploration, Franklin also served in a civil capacity, working as the Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1837 to 1843.
In 1845, Franklin launched his third and final voyage, aiming to successfully traverse the elusive Northwest Passage. The expedition met with disaster when the vessels became hopelessly icebound off King William Island, located in modern-day Nunavut. Franklin passed away on the icebound ships in June 1847. Ten months after his death, the surviving crew members abandoned the vessels, but none survived the harsh conditions, succumbing to starvation, hypothermia, and scurvy.
