Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson (c.1565–1611) was an English navigator who made four voyages between 1607 and 1611 in search of a northern passage to Asia. On his third voyage (1609), sailing for the Dutch East India Company, he explored the river now bearing his name as far north as present-day Albany. This voyage gave the Netherlands its legal claim to the territory that became New Netherland and later New York. On his fourth voyage (1610–1611), employed by English merchants, he navigated Hudson Strait and wintered in Hudson Bay, which he believed to be the Pacific Ocean. His crew mutinied in June 1611 and set Hudson, his son, and several loyal crew members adrift in the bay. They were never found. Despite his tragic end, Hudson's voyages mapped critical North American coastal geography and laid the basis for both Dutch and English colonisation of the northeast.
- Lived: 1565 CE – 1611 CE
- Nationality: english
- Roles: explorer, navigator
