George Vancouver was a British explorer and naval captain born in 1757 who discovered Vancouver Island and Puget Sound. He joined the royal navy at age 13 and worked his way up to captain. Vancouver Island, cities in Washington and British Columbia are named after him as he mapped the coasts of those areas while exploring on behalf of the British navy and helping resolve territorial disputes between Britain and Spain. He returned to England in 1795 after several years exploring the Pacific Northwest coast of North America.