Puget, << PYOO jiht, >> Peter (1765-1822), a British naval officer and explorer, played an important part in the exploration of the north Pacific Coast of North America. Puget Sound, in the state of Washington, Cape Puget in Alaska, and Puget Island in the Columbia River were named for him. From 1791 to 1795, Puget sailed as a lieutenant with Captain George Vancouver on a four-year voyage around the world. This voyage included a trip to Nootka Sound, near what is now Vancouver Island, to regain English territory from the Spaniards.
In 1792, Puget and Vancouver became the first Europeans to reach the sound, or arm, of the Pacific Ocean that Vancouver named for Puget. Puget explored the sound, surveyed the Yakutat Bay area on the southern Alaska coast, and helped explore Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound in the Gulf of Alaska. It is believed that Puget was born in London in November 1765. Puget died on Oct. 31, 1822, in Bath, England.
