William Cornelius Schouten (ca. 1580-1625) was a Dutch explorer and navigator. In 1616 he discovered a new route to the Pacific via Cape Horn.

The exact birth date of William Schouten is unknown, but the year was probably 1580 and the place Hoorn in what is now Holland. He became a seafarer and made three trips to the East Indies between 1601 and 1603. His reputation as a navigator and interest in exploring distant parts attracted the attention of Isaac Le Maire, a wealthy Amsterdam merchant who in 1615 appointed him to command the Eendracht on a voyage to the Pacific.

One object was to search for the great south land about whose existence and riches rumors abounded. Another was to find a route into the Pacific other than those then known to exist via the Strait of Magellan and the Cape of Good Hope. The Dutch East India Company alone was permitted...