James King

Born in 1750, James King was a Royal Navy officer, navigator, and writer associated with Captain James Cook’s third voyage. He served as a lieutenant on the expedition and, after Cook’s death in Hawaiʻi in 1779, took on increased responsibility during the voyage’s final stages.

King is closely linked to A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean (1784), the official account of Cook’s last expedition. He completed part of the narrative and helped shape the published record of the journey, which covered exploration in the Pacific and the search for a northern passage.

He died in 1784, the same year the voyage account appeared. Though his life was short, his contribution helped preserve one of the most important exploration narratives of the 18th century.