Franklin, Sir John

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Franklin, Sir John (1786–1847) English Arctic explorer. Franklin served as a naval officer in the Battle of Trafalgar (1805). His first overland exploration of n Canada (1819–22) crossed from Great Slave Lake to the Arctic coast. Franklin's second expedition (1825–27) descended the Mackenzie River. He served as governor of Tasmania (1836–43). In 1845, he embarked on a fated search for the Northwest Passage. The first of 40 search parties was launched in 1848. These expeditions greatly advanced knowledge of the Arctic and eventually established (1859) that Franklin died with his entire 129-man crew after they became caught in the ice in Victoria Strait.

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