John White
English artist, mapmaker, colonial governor, and the principal witness to Roanoke’s disappearance. White helped organize the 1587 expedition and left the colony to seek supplies and support in England. He returned on August 18, 1590, after delays connected to England’s war with Spain, and found the settlement empty.
Historical figure · reconstructed for documentary illustration. Biographical text is a short public summary of the historical record, not a full scholarly biography.