Origins & Early Life

Chef d'escadre Jean François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse (French: [lapeʁuz]; 23 August 1741 – c. 1788) was a French Navy officer and explorer. Having enlisted in the Navy at the age of 15, he had a successful career and in 1785 was appointed to lead a scientific expedition around the world. His ships stopped in Chile, Hawaii, Alaska, California, Macau, the Philippines, Korea, Russia, Japan, Samoa, Tonga, and Australia before wrecking on the reefs of Vanikoro in the Solomon Islands.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Jean-François de Galaup was born on 23 August 1741 near Albi, France. His family had been ennobled in 1558. Lapérouse studied in a Jesuit college and joined the French Royal Navy as a Garde-Marine in Brest on 19 November 1756. In 1757 he was appointed to the French ship Célèbre and participated in a supply expedition to the fort of Louisbourg in New France. Lapérouse also took part in a second supply expedition in 1758 to Louisbourg, but as it was in the early years of the Seven Years' War the fort was under siege and the expedition was forced to make a circuitous route around Newfoundland to avoid British patrols.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In 1759 Lapérouse was wounded in the Battle of Quiberon Bay, where he...

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