Dutchman, son of a wealthy merchant of French origin. In 1615, Jacob Le Maire funded an expedition by the navigator Schouten (1567-1625), in which he participated as secretary-manager of his father's finances. Gave his name to the straits of Tierra del Fuego through which the expedition reached the Southern Seas, opening a new route to the East. His misadventures on arriving in Jakarta - his arrest and the confiscation of his possessions - were an ordeal for Le Maire, who died during the return voyage to Holland.