Edwin De Haven

Who was Edwin De Haven?

Edwin Jesse De Haven was a United States Navy officer and explorer of the first half of the 19th century.

He was born in Philadelphia and became a midshipman at the age of 10, serving until 1857. De Haven participated in the Wilkes Expedition, officially known as the United States Exploring Expedition, from 1839 to 1842.

Edwin Jesse De Haven's most notable achievement was serving as captain of the Advance. Together with Rescue, the ship participated in the Arctic search mission to discover the remains of John Franklin's earlier, 1847, Arctic expedition. The two ships left New York on May 5, 1850. De Haven and his crew were at sea for sixteen months, spending the winter inside the Arctic circle.

After returning from the expedition, Edwin Jesse De Haven served in the U.S. Coast Survey, before spending the rest of his career at the United States Naval Observatory under superintendent Matthew Fontaine Maury. He was placed on the retired list in 1862 on account of impaired vision. He died in Philadelphia in May 1865.