Lewis Anthony Beaumont was born on 19 May 1847. In 1860, he entered the Royal Navy and seven years later was promoted lieutenant, serving on the Australian Station from 1868 to 1871. After qualifying as gunnery lieutenant, he was appointed instructor during the torpedo experiments. He served as senior lieutenant in HMS Discovery on the British Arctic Expedition, 1875-1876 (leader George Strong Nares), sent by the Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole and to explore the coasts of Greenland and adjacent lands. Setting out from Discovery Harbour on 6 April 1876, Beaumont led a major sledging journey eastward to explore the northwest coast of Greenland, reaching Sherard Osborn Fjord before turning back on 22 May 1876.
After the expedition, Beaumont was promoted commander and in 1882, served as the Naval Attach for Europe. Between 1882 and 1885, he served as private secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty, and from 1894 to 1897 as director of Naval Intelligence. He was promoted rear admiral in 1897, serving as commander-in-chief of the Pacific Station between 1899 and 1900, and of the Australian Station from 1901 to 1903. He was knighted in 1901 and promoted admiral in 1906. In 1905, Beaumont was appointed commander-in-chief at Devonport, a post he held until 1908. He retired from the Navy in 1912 and died on 19 June 1922.
From the guide to the Lewis Beaumont collection, 1875-1922, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
