Editing John Rae (explorer) (section)

== Death and legacy ==
[[File:John Rae grave in Kirkwall Cathedral graveyard, Orkney.jpg|thumb|Rae's grave at [[St Magnus Cathedral]] in [[Kirkwall]], [[Orkney]]]]
John Rae died from an [[aneurysm]] in [[Kensington]], west London, on 22 July 1893. A week later his body arrived in Orkney. He was buried at [[St Magnus Cathedral]] in [[Kirkwall]], [[Orkney]].

A memorial to Rae, lying as in sleep upon the ground, is inside the cathedral. The memorial by [[North Ronaldsay]] sculptor Ian Scott, unveiled at [[Stromness]] pierhead in 2013, is a statue of Rae with an inscription describing him as "the discoverer of the final link in the first navigable Northwest Passage."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.orcadian.co.uk/2013/09/john-rae-statue-unveiled-at-stromness-pierhead/ |title=John Rae statue unveiled at Stromness Pierhead – the Orcadian Online |access-date=23 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051823/http://www.orcadian.co.uk/2013/09/john-rae-statue-unveiled-at-stromness-pierhead/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Rae Strait]], [[Melville Peninsula|Rae Isthmus]], [[Rae River]], [[Mount Rae (Alberta)|Mount Rae]], [[Point Rae]],<ref>{{Cite book |title=50 Roadside Panoramas in the Canadian Rockies |last=Birrell |first=Dave |publisher=Rocky Mountain Books Ltd |year=2000 |page=122 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OaB-yf_MJXMC&pg=PA122 |format=Google Books search |isbn=9780921102656}}</ref> and [[Behchokǫ̀|Rae-Edzo]] were all named for him.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/pageant/04/rae_j.shtml |title=Dr. John Rae |access-date=25 August 2008 |work=Manitoba Pageant, September 1958, Volume 4, Number 1 |publisher=mhs.mb.ca}}</ref>

The outcome of Lady Franklin's efforts to glorify the dead of the Franklin expedition meant that Rae, who had discovered evidence suggesting a much less noble fate, was shunned somewhat by the British establishment. Although he found the first clue to the fate of Franklin, Rae was never awarded a [[knight]]hood, nor was he remembered at the time of his death, dying quietly in London. In comparison, fellow Scot and contemporary explorer [[David Livingstone]] was buried with full imperial honours in [[Westminster Abbey]].

Historians have since studied Rae's expeditions and his roles in finding the Northwest Passage and learning the fate of Franklin's crew. Authors such as [[Ken McGoogan]] have noted Rae was willing to adopt and learn the ways of indigenous Arctic peoples, which made him stand out as the foremost specialist of his time in cold-climate survival and travel. Rae also respected Inuit customs, traditions, and skills, which went against the beliefs of many 19th-century Europeans that most native peoples were too primitive to offer anything of educational value.<ref>McGoogan 2001.</ref>

In July 2004, [[Orkney and Shetland (UK Parliament constituency)|Orkney and Shetland]] MP [[Alistair Carmichael]] introduced into the UK Parliament a motion proposing, ''inter alia'', that the House "regrets that Dr Rae was never awarded the public recognition that was his due".<ref>[http://www.edms.org.uk/edms/2003-2004/1459.htm EDM1459 – Dr John Rae And The Restoration Of The Hall Of Clestrain]</ref> In March 2009, he introduced a further motion urging Parliament to formally state it "regrets that memorials to Sir John Franklin outside the Admiralty headquarters and inside Westminster Abbey still inaccurately describe Franklin as the first to discover the [North West] passage, and calls on the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] and the Abbey authorities to take the necessary steps to clarify the true position."<ref>{{cite news|url = https://renfrewshirelibdems.org.uk/en/article/2009/0306923/carmichael-campaigns-for-orcadian-john-rae-to-receive-credit-he-deserves | title = Carmichael campaigns for Orcadian John Rae to receive credit he deserves | publisher = Houses of Parliament| date = 18 March 2009 | access-date = 18 April 2009|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180523202255/https://renfrewshirelibdems.org.uk/en/article/2009/0306923/carmichael-campaigns-for-orcadian-john-rae-to-receive-credit-he-deserves |archive-date= 2018-05-23|url-status= live}}</ref> In October 2014, a plaque dedicated to Rae was installed at [[Westminster Abbey]].<ref>[https://www.historyscotland.com/history/john-rae-memorial-plaque-laid-in-westminster-abbey/ John Rae memorial plaque laid in Westminster Abbey]{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Rae is depicted in the 2008 movie [[Passage (2008 film)|''Passage'']] from the [[National Film Board of Canada]].

He is the subject of the song 'John Rae's Welcome Home' by Scottish folksinger Malcolm MacWatt.

In June 2011, a [[blue plaque]] was installed by [[English Heritage]] on the house where John Rae spent the last years of his life, No. 4 Lower Addison Gardens, in [[Kensington]], west London.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/john-rae/|title=John Rae (1813–1893)|publisher=[[English Heritage]]|date=24 June 2011|access-date=2 Jan 2020}}</ref> After a conference in September 2013 in [[Stromness]], Orkney to celebrate the 200th anniversary of John Rae's birth, a statue was erected to Rae at the pierhead. In December 2013, The John Rae Society,<ref>[https://www.johnraesociety.com/ John Rae Society]</ref> a [[Charitable organization|registered charity]] under Scottish law,<ref>{{Scottish charity|SC044463|The John Rae Society}}</ref> was formed in Orkney to promote Rae's achievements.

In 2014, Historic Environment Scotland awarded a plaque to commemorate Rae at his birthplace, the [[Hall of Clestrain]]. The John Rae Society purchased the Hall in 2016 with the intent of developing a museum to commemorate Rae and his achievements.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://johnraesociety.com/|title=Preserves and promotes the memory of one of our greatest explorers.|website=johnraesociety.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=John Rae Society purchase Hall of Clestrain|url=http://www.orcadian.co.uk/john-rae-society-purchase-hall-clestrain/|accessdate=16 November 2016|publisher=The Orcadian|date=26 September 2016}}</ref> The Society began its crowdfunding campaign to restore the house in December 2024.<ref>{{cite news|title=Campaign to save Orkney home of Arctic explorer Dr John Rae|url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands-islands/6643613/campaign-to-save-orkney-home-of-arctic-explorer-dr-john-rae/|publisher=The Press & Journal|date=9 December 2024|accessdate=20 December 2024}}</ref>