William Lewis Maury

William Lewis Maury (1813 – November 27, 1878) was born in Virginia, the son of William Grymes Maury and Ann Hoomes Woolfolk, and became a Midshipman in 1829. His career as a mid-shipman and lieutenant was marked by his service in the United States Exploring Expedition.

He was an American explorer and naval officer who served in the United States Navy for over 20 years, then resigned to take an officer's commission in the Confederate States Navy. Wm Maury assisted Charles Wilkes' exploration of the Pacific Ocean and acted as attaché to Matthew C. Perry's 1856 naval mission to Japan.

As a member of Wilkes' expedition, the Maury name was applied to a discovered feature of Puget Sound, Maury Island. In the 20th century, an ice-filled bay east of Cape Lewis, Antarctica, Maury Bay, was named after this explorer.

William L. Maury served in the United States Naval Observatory, U. S. Navy under his cousin, superintendent Matthew Fontaine Maury, in charting the seas, cartography, and in recording astronomical observations.

In the famed The United States Exploring Expedition then Lieutenant W. L. Maury served under Charles Wilkes from 1838-1842. He served on the ships Vincennes; joined the Peacock at Orange Bay, and the Porpoise at Callao.

It was during the Exploring Expedition’s survey of Puget Sound that Commodore Wilkes named Maury Island after William Lewis Maury. Maury continued in Navy service serving on the Navy Efficiency Board. In 1860 he served as a member of the Japanese Treaty Commission.

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