Cook, James 1728-79
English navigator

He was born in Marton, Yorkshire, the son of an agricultural labourer. After a short time in a haberdasher's shop at Staithes, he was apprenticed to Whitby shipowners, and spent several years in the coasting and Baltic trade, then joined the navy (1755), becoming master in 1759. He was engaged in surveying around the St Lawrence and the shores of Newfoundland. He commanded the Endeavour, for the Royal Society expedition to the Pacific, to observe the transit of Venus across the Sun (1768-71). On the return, New Zealand was circumnavigated and charted, the east coast of Australia was surveyed and claimed for Great Britain, the strait between Australia and New Guinea was sailed through, and the voyage completed by way of Java and the Cape of Good Hope. Made commander, he was given control of a second voyage of discovery in the Resolution and Adventure (1772-75), to discover how far the lands of the Antarctic stretched northwards, and sailed round the edge of the ice, reaching 71� 10' S. in longitude 110� 54' W. During the intervals between the Antarctic voyages, he visited Tahiti and the New Hebrides, and discovered New Caledonia and other groups. Owing to his precautions, there was only one death among his crews during all the three years. His next and last voyage (1776-79) was to discover a passage round the north coast of America from the Pacific, and was by way of the Cape, Tasmania, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, the Sandwich Islands (now discovered), and the west coast of North America, which he surveyed from 45� N as far as Icy Cape in Bering Strait, where he was forced to turn back, reaching Kailua Bay in Hawaii, in January 1779. The inhabitants, at first friendly, changed their attitude, and on 14 February, when he landed on Kealakekua Beach to recover a stolen boat, he was killed. Cook did more than any other navigator to add to our knowledge of the Pacific and the Southern Ocean.

Bibliography: J C Beaglehole, The Life of Captain Cook (1974)