Alexander Dalrymple

Alexander Dalrymple was a Scottish geographer, hydrographer and chart publisher whose career with the East India Company made him one of Britain’s leading authorities on navigation and the geography of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In 1795 he became the first Hydrographer to the Admiralty when the Royal Navy created a permanent office to organise the large body of charts and surveys accumulated by the service.

Dalrymple became the East India Company's first hydrographer and then the first Hydrographer of the Navy in 1795, organising charts and navigational information into a more systematic service. He promoted the publication of reliable sailing directions and charts for naval and commercial use. His difficult relationship with the Admiralty ended with his dismissal in 1808, shortly before his death.