Apprenticed to the Hudson's Bay Company in 1684, Kelsey developed a rapport with the Indians which led to his being sent from York in 1690 to draw the natives of the plains down to the Bay to trade. This was the first of the Company's inland expeditions, and the only one for half a century. Although his exact route is unclear, he apparently reached the plains of Saskatchewan, the first white man known to have done so. He subsequently served the Company as trader, explorer, mariner and, finally, as governor of all the posts on Hudson Bay (1718-22). In 1722 he retired to London, where he died. *Note: This designation has been identified for review. A review can be triggered for one of the following reasons - outdated language or terminology, absence of a significant layer of history, factual errors, controversial beliefs and behaviour, or significant new knowledge.