Portrait of Francis Leopold M'Clintock
Photo: Stephen Pearce · Wikimedia Commons

Author

Francis Leopold M'Clintock

Irish explorer in the British Royal Navy (1819-1907)

Born
July 8, 1819, Dundalk
Died
November 17, 1907, Kensington
Nationality
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Occupation
Explorer, naval officer, photographer, seafarer and admiral

Life and work

Admiral Sir Francis Leopold McClintock (8 July 1819 – 17 November 1907) was an Irish explorer in the British Royal Navy, known for his discoveries in the Arctic Archipelago. He confirmed explorer John Rae's controversial report gathered from Inuit sources on the fate of Franklin's lost expedition, the ill-fated Royal Navy undertaking commanded by Sir John Franklin in 1845 attempting to be the first to traverse the Northwest Passage.

McClintock's report was received more favourably than that of Rae, who was shunned and denied recognition for having discovered the lost expedition's fate. Rae's report ultimately guided McClintock to the correct area to conduct a search. McClintock also stirred controversy with his claim that Franklin, before his death, had essentially discovered the Northwest Passage, while in reality he had not. Rae, with his discovery of Rae Strait, had discovered the real ice-free passage through North America's Arctic archipelago.

Text: “Leopold McClintock”, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under the license CC BY-SA 4.0. Dates and facts: Wikidata.

Collection

Books by Francis Leopold M'Clintock

1 book