Who is John Ledyard?

[Zkribbler]

Well?

[Nikolai]

I have no idea. Next question?

[Kuciwalker]

John Ledyard (November 1751 – January 10, 1789) was an American explorer and adventurer.

Ledyard was born in Groton, Connecticut, the oldest son of John and Abigail (Hempstead) Ledyard and the nephew of Continental Army Colonel William Ledyard. After his father, a sea captain, died of malaria in the Caribbean, Ledyard's mother and family moved to Southold, Long Island. Three years later Ledyard joined his grandfather in Hartford, Connecticut, where he attended school. His grandfather died just before Ledyard turned 20; perhaps due to Ledyard's profligacy the bulk of the family inheritance was left to a younger brother.

Ledyard briefly attended Dartmouth College (which was then only 3 years old), arriving on April 22, 1772. He left for two months without permission in August and September of that year, led a mid-winter camping expedition, and finally abandoned the college for good in May 1773. Memorably he fashioned his own dugout canoe and paddled it for a week down the Connecticut River to his grandfather's farm. At loose ends, he decided to travel; "I allot myself a seven year's ramble more," he wrote to a cousin. He shipped as a common seaman on a year-long trading voyage to Gibraltar, the Barbary Coast, and the Caribbean. On his next voyage, he jumped ship in England, but was soon impressed and forced to join the British Navy as a marine.

[Zkribbler]

But wait -- it gets better!

Ledyad was assigned to Captain Cook's ship on the voyage to the Pacific to look for the Northwest Passage. Ledyard was part of the exploration that discovered Hawaii. Ledyard was the first Yankee to set foot in Hawaii, on the West Coast of the American continent and in Alaska.

When he returned to America, he deserted from the British marines and tried to go into business with Robert Morris, the then-richest man in America, to import Alaskan furs. Morris's financial partners double-crossed him and Morris eventually ended up in debtor's prison.

Ledyard wandered over to Europe, where he ran into John Paul Jones. He got Jones interested in the partnership, but that effort also fell thru.

So Ledyard was sitting around one day *****ing to the American Ambassador to France, Thomas Jefferson, about this great business opportunity in Alaska. Ledyard suggested that he map potential trade routes by -- are you ready for this -- walking from Europe, to Alaska and from there to Virginia. Jefferson thought it was a great idea!

Ledyard made it as far as Yakusk before Catherine the Great learned he was in her country. She had him arrested and deported to Poland.

Then he signed up with another organization to explore Africa. He made it to Cairo, but when his caravan's departure was delayed, he flew into a rage, overdosed on some calming medication he took and died.