William Edward Parry

Sir Edward Parry FRS
Portrait by Charles Skottowe
Hydrographer of the Navy
In office 1 December 1823 – 13 May 1829 (1823-12-01 – 1829-05-13)
Preceded by	Thomas Hannaford Hurd
Succeeded by	Sir Francis Beaufort
Personal details
Born	William Edward Parry (1790-12-19)19 December 1790 Bath, Somerset, England
Died	8 July 1855(1855-07-08) (aged 64) Bad Ems, Kingdom of Prussia
Spouses	Isabella Louisa Stanley Catherine Edwards Hoare
Parent	Caleb Hillier Parry (father)
Relatives	Charles Henry Parry (brother) Joshua Parry (grandfather) Edward Rigby (uncle)
Education	King Edward's School
Occupation	Arctic explorer, hydrographer
Known for	Farthest North in 1827
Military service
Branch	Royal Navy
Service years	1803–1855
Rank	Rear admiral
Wars	Anglo-American War

Sir William Edward Parry FRS (19 December 1790 – 8 July 1855) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for his 1819–1820 expedition through the Parry Channel, probably the most successful in the long quest for the Northwest Passage, until it was finally negotiated by Roald Amundsen in 1906. In 1827, Parry attempted one of the earliest expeditions to the North Pole. He reached 82° 45' N, setting a record for human exploration Farthest North that stood for nearly five decades before being surpassed at 83° 20' N by Albert Hastings Markham in 1875.