James Booth Lockwood (October 9, 1852 – April 9, 1884) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer and

arctic explorer Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle. Historical records suggest that humankind have explored ...

Biography

Lockwood was born in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, to

Henry Hayes Lockwood Henry Hayes Lockwood (August 17, 1814 – December 7, 1899) was an American soldier and academic from Delaware who rose to the rank of Brigadier General during the American Civil War and captured the Delmarva Peninsula including Virginia's Eas ...

and his wife Anna. He attended St. John's College. He was commissioned

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 23rd Infantry of the

in October 1873. He was promoted to first lieutenant in March 1883. In 1881, Lockwood signed up for the Lady Franklin Bay expedition under Adolphus W. Greely, and was accepted as second-in-command. During this three-year expedition, Lockwood led a sledging party, with

David Legge Brainard David Legge Brainard (December 21, 1856 – March 22, 1946) was a career officer in the United States Army. He enlisted in 1876, received his officer's commission in 1886, and served until 1919. Brainard attained the rank of brigadier genera ...

, to Mary Murray Island, off northern

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

, at a latitude of 83° 24', thus breaking the British record of the time for the most northerly point reached. In 1883, he crossed

Grant Land Grant Land is the northern lobe of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Situated on the north coast, Cape Columbia, is the northernmost point of Canada, only 770 km from the North Pole, and was used as the final point on land for Peary's No ...

, reaching the western shore of

Ellesmere Island Ellesmere Island ( iu, script=Latn, Umingmak Nuna, lit=land of muskoxen; french: île d'Ellesmere) is Canada's northernmost and List of Canadian islands by area, third largest island, and the List of islands by area, tenth largest in the world. ...

. He died at

Cape Sabine Cape Sabine is a land point on Pim Island, off the eastern shores of the Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, in the Smith Sound, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. History The cape was named after Arctic explorer Sir Edward Sabine (1788– ...

in April 1884, along with several other members of the party, before rescue arrived on June 22, and was buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery.

Lockwood Island Lockwood Island ( da, Lockwood Ø) is an island of the Lincoln Sea, Greenland. Administratively it belongs to the Northeast Greenland National Park. Lockwood Island is the northernmost sizeable coastal island of Greenland. The waters around the i ...

in northern Greenland was named in his honor.

References

External links

* * * 1852 births 1884 deaths Burials at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery Explorers of the Arctic People from Annapolis, Maryland United States Army officers {{US-mil-bio-stub