George Percy

George Percy was an English explorer and early Colonial Governor of Virginia.

Born into a noble family and educated at the Oxford University, Percy began his career as a military serving in Ireland and during the Dutch War for Independence in the early 1600s. His life was marked by poor health as he suffered from epilepsy or severe asthma. Following the establishment of the Virginia Company in 1607 in London, Percy was among the first group of colonists that have sailed to Virginia and settled in the Jamestown Colony. Thanks to his journal of voyage information about struggles of the settlers with the American environment, disease and the Native Indians are preserved.

Percy actively participated in the early life of the colony and joined the expedition to the James River falls in May and June 1607. In 1609 he was elected president of the colony, but due to poor health he left the management to others, and he finally surrendered control of the colony to Sir Thomas Gates in the following year.

During Percy’s tenure the colony suffered through the "Starving Time" as only one tenth of settlers survived the winter of 1609-1610. Although Percy decided to return to England after these events, he still had interests in the colonization plans. However, after his proposal of expedition to Guiana was rejected, he got rid of the shares in the Virginia Company and returned to military service.