Wrangel, << VRAHN gehl or RANG gehl, >> Ferdinand von (1794-1870), Baron von Wrangel, was a Russian naval officer and colonial administrator. He led an expedition into the Siberian Arctic from 1820 to 1824 which greatly increased knowledge about the region. He became governor of Alaska in 1830. As the Russian minister of marine, he opposed the sale of Alaska and had to retire. Wrangel Island is named for him. He was born in what is now Latvia.
