Grigory Ivanovich Shelekhov

Grigory Ivanovich Shelekhov — a Russian explorer, mariner, industrialist and merchant. He explored the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. He was born into a prosperous merchant family in Rylsk, Belgorod Governorate. In his youth, at his father's instruction, he began trading with Siberian merchants. After his parents' death, Shelekhov moved to Siberia to live permanently. 

In 1777 Shelekhov outfitted a ship for the Kuril Islands and the coasts of Japan. The next expedition was sent to the Aleutian Islands, where the navigator Pribilov discovered previously unknown islands later named after him. In 1780 he dispatched from Kamchatka the first vessel for beaver, arctic fox and sea otter furs, which returned with a rich cargo. In 1783 Shelekhov joined forces with the Golikov brothers and sailed to Alaska with three ships and a crew of 192 men. On 22 July 1784 the expedition reached Kodiak Island, where Shelekhov founded Three Saints Harbor. In 1791 Shelekhov founded the "North-East Company", which was later transformed into the Russian-American Company. For his discoveries in the Pacific Ocean Shelekhov was awarded a gold medal and a silver sword. Grigory Ivanovich died on 20 July 1795 in Irkutsk and was buried at the Znamensky Monastery. After his death the estate and management of the North-East Company passed to his son-in-law Nikolai Rezanov.