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Elisha KaneAmerican physician and polar explorer
Date of Birth: 28.02.1820
Country:  Cuba |
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Biography of Elisha Kent Kane
Elisha Kent Kane was an American physician and polar explorer who served as a medical officer in the United States Navy in the first half of the 19th century. Born on February 28, 1820, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kane was the son of John Kintzing Kane, a district judge, and Jane Duval Leiper. His brother, Thomas L. Kane, was a lawyer, diplomat, abolitionist, and cavalry general during the Civil War.
Early Life and Education
Kane graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in 1842 and became an assistant surgeon in the US Navy on September 14, 1843. He participated in a trade mission to China led by Caleb Cushing, served in the African Squadron, and was a Marine Corps infantryman during the Mexican-American War.
Arctic Expeditions
In 1850-1851, Kane was appointed chief medical officer of the First Grinnell Expedition to the Grinnell Peninsula, commanded by Edwin de Haven. Although the expedition did not find John Franklin's missing expedition, they discovered its first winter camp. Kane then led and organized the Second Grinnell Expedition, which set sail from New York on May 31, 1853, and wintered at Rensselaer Bay. Despite suffering from scurvy and being on the brink of death at times, Kane continued steadfastly on his course and ventured farther north than any other explorer of his time. He discovered the ice-free Kennedy Channel at Cape Constitution on May 20, 1855, before the crew of the ice-encased brig began an 83-day struggle for survival at Upernavik. Kane and his men, who lost only one person during their Arctic endeavors, were eventually rescued by a sailing ship.
Later Life and Legacy
Upon his return to New York on October 11, 1855, Kane published his two-volume work, 'Arctic Explorations,' the following year. He then traveled to England to fulfill his promise of personally delivering his report to Lady Franklin before finding himself in Havana, Cuba, attempting unsuccessfully to restore his health. He died on February 16, 1857. His body was brought to New Orleans and transported to Philadelphia on a funeral train. The train made stops at almost every platform, and it is said that the funeral procession itself rivalled only that of Lincoln.
Dr. Kane received medals from the US Congress, the Royal Geographical Society, and the world's oldest geographical society, the Société de Géographie. The destroyer USS Kane (DD-235) and later the oceanographic research ship USNS Kane (T-AGS-27) were named in his honor. Elisha Kane was a Freemason, and a prominent Masonic lodge in New York (Lodge No. 454) was renamed Lodge Kane. Additionally, a crater on the moon was named after him, and on May 28, 1986, the US Postal Service issued a 22-cent stamp featuring Kane's Arctic route.
