1725?-1775

Spanish military officer who in 1774 captained the ship Santiago further north than any other Spanish explorer had before on its exploration of the Pacific coast to what is now the Canadian-Alaskan border. Unfortunately, shipboard illnesses and the icy waters of late winter prevented Pérez from landing in many areas and making accurate maps of the coastlines and islands he claimed as Spanish territories. Pérez died of scurvy the following year.