Ross, Sir John, 1777–1856, British arctic explorer and rear admiral. In 1818 he went in search of the Northwest Passage but turned back after exploring Baffin Bay. Financed by Sir Felix Booth, he commanded a second search expedition (1829–33), in the course of which he discovered Boothia Peninsula, the Gulf of Boothia, and King William Island and explored Smith, Jones, and Lancaster sounds. Ross was knighted in 1833. His last trip to the Arctic was made in 1850–51, when he went to the Lancaster Sound region to search for Sir John Franklin. He wrote two books describing his quest for the Northwest Passage.
See E. S. Dodge, The Polar Rosses (1973).
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