George Brandreth Borup (1885-1912)

George Brandreth Borup (1885-1912). Member of Peary's Expedition to the North Pole. George Borup was born in Ossining to Lieutenant Colonel Henry D. Borup and Mary Brandreth Borup. He attended Holbrook Military Academy in Ossining and the Groton School in Massachusetts before graduating from Yale University in 1907. Borup made his most lasting impact when he served as Rear Admiral Robert Edwin Peary's assistant on his expedition to the North Pole (1908-1909). , Borup served as the photographer and assisted in the collection of data for the expedition, which was credited with being the first to discover the North Pole. Well-known for his bravery and athleticism, he hunted and drove the sleds for long distances. Peary recalled seeing Borup “single-handedly drag his frightened dog team out of the icy waters,” according to an article in the local Citizen Register. , After the expedition, Borup chronicled the journey in A Tenderfoot with Peary, a book praised for its familiar tone that captured the excitement of the adventure. In addition to this literary gift, Borup built a monument at Cape Columbia on Ellesmere Island to commemorate the launching place of the Peary expedition. He was an assistant curator at the American Museum of Natural History, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of London and a member of the New York Academy of Sciences upon his return from the Peary expedition. , Borup died in a tragic boating accident attempting to save a drowning friend, Samuel Case, a fellow Yale graduate, who also died. He was just 26 years old.