Isaac Israel Hayes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Isaac Israel Hayes
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Hayes between 1860 and 1875
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| Born | March 5, 1832 |
| Died | December 17, 1881 (aged 49) New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Occupation | Physician, politician, explorer |
Isaac Israel Hayes (born March 5, 1832 – died December 17, 1881) was an American Arctic explorer, a doctor, and a politician. He was in charge of a big hospital during the American Civil War. After the war, he was chosen to be part of the New York State Assembly.
In 1863, Hayes became a member of the American Philosophical Society. This is a group that promotes useful knowledge.
His book, The Open Polar Sea, was published in 1867. It told the story of his journey toward the North Pole.
Contents
Early Life and Arctic Adventures
Isaac Hayes was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, on March 5, 1832. He grew up on his family's farm. Later, he went to Westtown School, a school started by Quakers.
After graduating, he stayed at the school for two more years. He helped teach civil engineering and math. In 1851, he started studying at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School.
Joining an Arctic Expedition
Hayes finished medical school early. In 1853, he joined the Second Grinnell expedition as the ship's doctor. This trip was led by Elisha Kane. The group left New York in June 1853. They were looking for Franklin's lost expedition, which had disappeared in the Arctic.
While on this trip, Hayes and another team member explored the east coast of Ellesmere Island. They traveled by sledge (a type of sled). They mapped about 200 miles (320 km) of coastline that no one had charted before. This helped future explorers. Hayes is thought to be the first non-native explorer of Ellesmere Island.
The expedition faced many challenges. Kane decided to stay for a second winter, even though food and fuel were very low. Hayes and seven others tried to leave for safety. They ran out of food and had to eat lichen, a type of moss. They eventually had to go back to Kane's group. Hayes had to have three of his frostbitten toes removed.
After this, Kane ordered the group to travel to Greenland by sledge and boat. They reached New York in October 1855. After recovering, Hayes gave many talks about his Arctic adventures. He became a very popular speaker and writer about the Arctic.
Leading His Own Arctic Trip
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From 1860 to 1861, Hayes led his own Arctic expedition. He raised $30,000 for the trip. He left in June 1860 on a ship called the United States. His main goal was to reach the North Pole.
In Greenland, he asked several Inuit people to join his 20-man crew. They helped as hunters. This was to make sure his crew would not starve, like other expeditions had. Hayes and his men then sailed toward Baffin Bay, Smith Sound, and Ellesmere Island. They hoped to reach the Open Polar Sea.
However, like others before him, Hayes had to turn back. The land was too difficult, the weather was harsh, and food supplies were running low. Before turning back, Hayes took a measurement. He believed he and his men had reached 81°35' north. If true, this would have been the farthest north any expedition had gone.
Later research showed that his measurement was likely incorrect. He might have been off by more than 100 miles (160 km). Researchers believe he actually reached Cape Collinson, Ellesmere Island, which is less than 10 miles (16 km) north of 80° north.
Hayes and his team believed they had achieved some of their goals. When they reached Greenland, they learned that the United States was in a Civil War.
Service During the Civil War
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After returning home, Hayes joined the Union Army as a surgeon (a type of doctor). In 1862, he was put in charge of Satterlee General Hospital. This was a very large military hospital in Philadelphia. It had 4,500 beds.
The hospital became very busy after big battles like the Second Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Gettysburg. After Gettysburg, the hospital had more than 6,000 patients.
Hayes and his team of doctors and nurses cared for about 50,000 sick and wounded soldiers. They lost only 260 patients while the hospital was open. This was a great achievement. Medical care and cleanliness were not as advanced back then.
Life After the War
After the war, Hayes wrote a book about his Arctic travels. It was called The Open Polar Sea: A Narrative of a Voyage of Discovery towards the North Pole, in the Schooner United States. He also published another book in 1869, called Cast Away in the Cold.
Books by Isaac Hayes
- Hayes, Isaac Israel. The Open Polar Sea: A Narrative of a Voyage of Discovery towards the North Pole, in the Schooner United States (1867).
- Hayes, I. I. Cast Away in the Cold (1869).
Becoming a Politician
Hayes then decided to run for office. He was elected to the New York State Assembly. He represented New York City as a Republican from 1876 to 1881.
As a politician, he worked to help poor people and those with mental illness. He also worked with other lawmakers to suggest changes to the New York State Constitution. One idea was to remove tolls on canals. This would help businesses grow and make the area more prosperous.
Hayes also helped get money for a tunnel under the Hudson River. This tunnel, finished about ten years later, connected Manhattan to New Jersey. It made travel on the East Coast much easier.
Death and Burial
On December 17, 1881, Isaac Hayes had a heart attack at his home in New York City. He was 49 years old and still a member of the State Assembly. He passed away the next morning. His body was taken back to Pennsylvania. He was buried at the Oakland Friends Cemetery in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Honors and Legacy
In 1865, the artist Frederic Edwin Church painted Aurora Borealis. This painting honored Hayes' expedition. During his trip, Hayes had named a mountain "Church's Peak" after his friend. He gave Church a sketch of it. Church used this sketch for the mountain in his painting. He also painted Hayes' ship, the United States, in the front of the picture.
Hayes also named a mountain range on Canada's Ellesmere Island the United States Range, after his ship. An island in Russia's Franz Josef Land is also named after him. It is called Heiss Island, which is a German way of writing Hayes Island.
See also
In Spanish: Isaac Israel Hayes para niños
