Who was Robert Gray, and why did he name the Columbia River?

Robert Gray (1755–1806) was an American sea captain and explorer who became the first U.S. citizen to circumnavigate the globe. A merchant mariner from Rhode Island, he served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolution before entering the service of a Massachusetts trading company.1

In May 1792, while commanding the ship Columbia on a trading expedition to the Pacific Northwest, Gray explored the mouth of the river now known as the Columbia River. He named the river after his vessel, the Columbia. This exploration was historically significant, as it provided the United States with a foundational claim to the Oregon Territory by right of discovery.123