Lafayette Bunnell
Lafayette Houghton Bunnell was an American physician, author, and explorer. He is most well known for his involvement with the Mariposa Battalion, the first nonIndians to enter Yosemite Valley. Bunnell led the battalion members in a vote to name the valley, and for this reason he is often credited as the person who named Yosemite. Bunnell was not otherwise important from a national perspective. However, his involvement in local history both in Wisconsin and California, and his experience as a soldier and surgeon in the United States war with Mexico and the Civil War, taken in total adds up to make him an important historical figure.
Bunnell was born in Rochester, New York on March 13, 1824. His father was Dr. Bradley Bunnell, and his uncle Dr. Douglass Houghton was a major influence on young Lafayette, especially instilling in him a desire to seek adventure in the West. In 1832 Bunnells father Bradley decided to move to Detroit, although the family stayed over in Buffalo prior to the final move because of a cholera epidemic, Bradley Bunnell was called on to treat the sick. When they did finally settle in Detroit, young Bunnell was friends with the Ojibwe, Potowatami and FrenchCanadian youth. He attended a catholic school, not because he was catholic but because it was the best school in the town.
Source: Wikipedia