author
John Rae
1813–1893
A Scottish doctor turned Arctic explorer, he mapped vast stretches of northern Canada and became one of the first Europeans to learn survival techniques directly from Inuit communities. He is also remembered for uncovering key evidence about the lost Franklin expedition, even when his findings were deeply unpopular in Victorian Britain.
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About the author
Trained in medicine at the University of Edinburgh, John Rae was born in Orkney in 1813 and went to work for the Hudson’s Bay Company as a surgeon. Life in the far north suited him: he became known for remarkable endurance, practical field skills, and a willingness to travel lightly across difficult country.
Rae explored large areas of the Canadian Arctic in the 1840s and 1850s, charting long stretches of coastline and helping complete the geographic picture of the Northwest Passage. Unlike many explorers of his time, he respected Inuit knowledge and adopted local methods of travel and survival, which made his journeys notably effective.
He is especially famous for reporting the fate of Sir John Franklin’s missing expedition after gathering testimony and objects linked to the disaster in 1854. Although that report brought controversy, Rae’s reputation has grown over time, and he is now widely recognized as one of the most capable and clear-eyed Arctic explorers of the 19th century.