Donald Manson (c. 1792–1880) was an ice master and whaling captain in the northern reaches of the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...

in the 19th century. He served on 42 whaling voyages as of 1854, and was first mate of the ''Sophia'' during the

First Grinnell Expedition The First Grinnell expedition of 1850 was the first American effort, financed by Henry Grinnell, to determine the fate of the lost Franklin Northwest Passage expedition. Led by Lieutenant Edwin De Haven, the team explored the accessible area ...

in 1850. He was hired as ice master for numerous expeditions for his skill of navigating the icy waters of

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

and further north, including

Edward Augustus Inglefield Sir Edward Augustus Inglefield (27 March 1820 – 4 September 1894) was a Royal Navy officer who led one of the searches for the missing Arctic explorer John Franklin during the 1850s. In doing so, his expedition charted previously unexpl ...

's 1853 expedition aboard . Manson also captained at least one voyage of Scottish emigrants to

Pictou Pictou ( ; Canadian Gaelic: ''Baile Phiogto'' Miꞌkmawiꞌsimk: ''Piktuk'') is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km (6 miles) nor ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

in 1842, and the pioneers praised him as "humane and gentlemanly." He served as

harbourmaster A harbourmaster (or harbormaster, see spelling differences) is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the correct opera ...

Peterhead Harbour Peterhead Harbour is a harbour in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Situated immediately northeast of Peterhead Bay, it is composed of three harbours: Port Henry, North Harbour and South Harbour. The harbour is a Category B listed structure. ...

from the 1840s until his death. Edward Augustus Inglefield whaling captain

A painting of Captain Manson is on display in the

Arbuthnot Museum Arbuthnot Museum is a museum and former library in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. A Category C listed structure, it stands on St Peter Street at its junction with Queen Street. American industrialist Andrew Carnegie donated funds towards its ...

Peterhead Peterhead (; , ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is the council area's largest settlement, with a population of 19,060 at the 2022 Census for Scotland, 2022 Census. It is the largest fishing port in the United Kingdom for total landi ...

.Wright, Christopher, and Catherine Gordon. British and Irish Paintings in Public Collections: an Index of British and Irish Oil Paintings by Artists Born before 1870 in Public and Institutional Collections in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Yale University Press, 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manson, Donald 1790s births 1880 deaths Scottish sailors British people in whaling 19th-century Scottish people History of the Arctic