William Bligh (1754-1817) was an English naval captain and a colonial governor of New South Wales, Australia. Probably best known for his involvement in the mutiny on H. M. S. "Bounty," he had a career fraught with controversy.

William Bligh was born on Sept. 9, 1754, in Plymouth, where his father was a customs officer. At 7 Bligh went to sea as a cabin boy and in 1770 joined the Royal Navy. Between 1776 and 1780 he was master of the Resolution on Capt. Cook's third voyage. In 1787 the British government dispatched Bligh to Tahiti with the Bounty to collect breadfruit plants in order to provide cheap food for West Indian slaves. Reluctant to leave Tahiti, the crew, led by Fletcher Christian, mutinied soon after departing from the island and cast Bligh adrift together with 18 supporters. After an epic 6 weeks' voyage, Bligh reached Timor in the East Indies, having traveled 3,618 miles in an open...