James King 1750-1794
British Royal Navy officer and astronomer James King played a crucial scientific role in mapping the Pacific Northwest coast during Captain James Cook's final expedition in 1778. Serving as the second lieutenant aboard the Resolution, King utilized early chronometers and sextants to take the precise navigational measurements that allowed the crew to accurately chart the region's complex shoreline. Following the deaths of Cook and his successor Charles Clerke, King took command of the Discovery for the remainder of the voyage and later authored the highly influential third volume of the expedition's official published account. In this widely read volume, King famously detailed the astronomical profits the crew made selling sea otter pelts in China, a revelation that directly triggered the lucrative maritime fur trade rush that permanently altered the economic destiny of the Pacific Northwest.
An officer in the British Royal Navy under James Cook
Biographical Overview
- Lived from 1750 to 1794
- Born: Jan 1, 1750, Clitheroe, Lancashire, Great Britian
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Bibliography for James King
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A voyage to the Pacific ocean undertaken, by the command of His Majesty, for making discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere : to determine the position and extent of the west by James Cook, James King
First edition of the account of Captain James Cook's third voyage (1776-1780), consisting of three quarto volumes of text and plates, and one folio atlas, the latter without title-page
3 volumes : 25 illustrations, maps (some folded) ; 30 cm (4to) + 1 atlas (63 leaves of plates (2 folded) : all illustrations, 2 maps, portraits ; 58 cm (folio))
ONLINE Circulation [ 3 ]
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Last updated: 2026-09-24