Sir Edmund Hillary | |
|---|---|
 Hillary in c. 1953 | |
| Born | Edmund Percival Hillary 20 July 1919 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Died | 11 January 2008 (aged 88) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Known for | With Tenzing Norgay, first to reach summit of Mount Everest |
| Spouses | Louise Mary Rose
(m. 1953; died 1975)June Mulgrew (m. 1989) |
| Children | 3, including Peter and Sarah |
| Military career | |
| Service | Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Rank | Sergeant[1] |
| Unit | |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Signature | |
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Sir Edmund Percival Hillary KG ONZ KBE (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. They were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, led by John Hunt. From 1985 to 1988 he served as New Zealand's High Commissioner to India and Bangladesh and concurrently as Ambassador to Nepal.
Hillary became interested in mountaineering while in secondary school. He made his first major climb in 1939, reaching the summit of Mount Ollivier.[2] He served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a navigator during World War II and was wounded in an accident. Prior to the Everest expedition, Hillary had been part of the British reconnaissance expedition to the mountain in 1951 as well as an unsuccessful attempt to climb Cho Oyu in 1952.
As part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition he reached the South Pole overland in 1958. He subsequently reached the North Pole, making him the first person to reach both poles and summit Everest. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.[3]
Beginning in 1960, Hillary devoted himself to assisting the Sherpa people of Nepal through the Himalayan Trust, which he established. His efforts are credited with the construction of many schools and hospitals in Nepal. Hillary had numerous honours conferred upon him, including the Order of the Garter in 1995. Upon his death in 2008, he was given a state funeral in New Zealand.
- ^ "Edmund Percival Hillary". Online Cenotaph. Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ "Sir Edmund Hillary Biography and Interview". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "Time 100 Persons of the Century". Time. 6 June 1999. Archived from the original on 23 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2017.