John Rolfe

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "John Rolfe" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

John Rolfe
A posthumous painting of John Rolfe and Pocahontas made c. 1850
Born	c. 1585 Heacham, Norfolk, England
Died	March 1622 (aged 36–37) Varina Farms, Virginia
Occupation(s)	Farmer, merchant, explorer
Known for	Being the husband of Pocahontas and the first settler in the colony of Virginia to successfully cultivate a tobacco crop for export
Spouses	Sarah Hacker ​ ​ (m. 1608; died 1610)​ Pocahontas ​ ​ (m. 1614; died 1617)​ Jane Pierce ​ ​ (m. 1619)​
Children	Bermuda Rolfe (1609–1610) Thomas Rolfe (1615–1680) Elizabeth Rolfe (1620–1635)

John Rolfe (c. 1585 – March 1622) was an English explorer, farmer and merchant. He is best known for being the husband of Pocahontas and the first settler in the colony of Virginia to successfully cultivate a tobacco crop for export.

He played a crucial role in the Virginia Colony's early economy by introducing a sweeter strain of tobacco from Trinidad, which became a profitable cash crop. Rolfe married Pocahontas, daughter of Native American leader Powhatan, and they had a son named Thomas. Rolfe and Pocahontas traveled to England in 1616 to promote colonization and investment in Virginia. After Pocahontas died, Rolfe returned to Virginia and continued working with tobacco. The tobacco strain cultivated by Rolfe laid the foundation for Virginia's thriving tobacco industry.