Description:
(English settlers of North America) John Rolfe was an English explorer, farmer, and merchant who significantly impacted the early economy of the Virginia Colony. He successfully introduced a sweeter strain of tobacco from Trinidad which led to the cultivation of a lucrative tobacco crop for export. Rolfe's marriage to Pocahontas, daughter of Native American leader Powhatan, and their promotional activities in England were instrumental in attracting colonization and investment in Virginia. His innovative work with tobacco was foundational to the flourishing tobacco industry in Virginia.