Fox or Foxe, Luke, 1586–1635, English explorer. As a master mariner, he set forth in 1631 to hunt for the Northwest Passage. He explored the southern shore of Hudson Bay, satisfied himself that there was no passage through it, and when scurvy struck his crew returned that same year to England. His Northwest Fox; or, Fox from the North-West Passage was published in 1635 (ed. by R. M. Christy, 1894). He gave many names to geographical features that are still used today; Foxe Basin and Foxe Peninsula were named after him. At about the time that Fox was in Hudson Bay, Thomas James was also conducting a search there for the Northwest Passage.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Explorers, Travelers, and Conquerors: Biographies
