(1866–1955). Matthew Henson may have been the first person to stand at the North Pole. He reached the Pole as a member of an expedition to the Arctic led by the explorer Robert E. Peary in 1909. Peary claimed the honor of being the first to reach the Pole for himself, and some have said that neither one reached the Pole at all. Most historians, however, agree that both reached the Pole and that Henson, as an African American, received less credit at the time than he deserved.
Early life
Matthew Alexander Henson was born in Maryland on August 8, 1866. When he was very young his parents died. He then went to live with an uncle in Washington, D.C. When Henson was only about 13 he went to sea as a cabin attendant on a sailing ship. After a few years he worked his way up to the rank of able seaman. His ship visited ports in the Philippines, China, Japan, North Africa, and Europe.
When the captain of his ship died, Henson lost his job as a seaman and returned to Washington. One day in 1887, while working as a clerk in a men's store, he met Robert E. Peary. Peary was a young naval officer who had already made one expedition to the Arctic. Impressed with Henson's knowledge and experience of world travel, Peary hired him as an assistant on the spot. The two spent several years exploring Nicaragua and then began discussing Peary's dream of being the first person to reach the North Pole.
Arctic expeditions
Peary and Henson made seven expeditions to the Arctic. They frequently called upon the Inuit people to help them. Henson took an interest in the Inuit and learned to speak their language. In return, the Inuit taught him how to kill a walrus, treat frostbite, and cope in other ways with the bitterly cold climate. Henson won their respect and the admiring nickname Maripaluk, or “Kind Matthew.”
Several times Henson and Peary tried to cross the icecap by dogsled. Bad weather forced them to turn back. However, in 1906 they did get farther north than ever before—within 174 miles (280 kilometers) of the Pole.
In 1908 Peary and Henson set out again for the Pole. They sent several small parties ahead on the trail to build shelters and stock them with food and supplies. The main party included Henson, Peary, and four Inuit named Ootah, Egingwah, Seegloo, and Ooqueah. One of these men saved Henson's life, pulling him out when he fell into the icy water.
The six men did not always stay close together. On April 6, 1909, Henson arrived alone at what he believed to be the Pole. When Peary joined him an hour later, he refused to accept Henson's calculation of where they were. Peary chose a different spot, which he reached first. Henson then raised the U.S. flag over what Peary declared was the North Pole.
When Henson and Peary returned home and announced their success, they discovered that someone else claimed to have beaten them. Dr. Frederick Cook, a former assistant of Peary's, insisted that he had already reached the Pole. Neither party had kept good written records, and Cook had no witnesses to his achievement. Most people believed that Peary and Henson were the first to reach the Pole.
Peary received most of the credit both because he was the leader of the expedition and because of racial prejudice at the time. Henson was denied membership in the famous Explorers Club. In 1912 he stated his case in his account of the journeys, A Negro Explorer at the North Pole.
Later life
When his exploring days were over, Henson went to work at the U.S. Customs House in New York City. Henson worked there until 1936, when he retired.
Henson lived long enough to gain some recognition for his achievements. The Explorers Club admitted him as a member in 1937. In 1944, Congress awarded medals to all members of the Peary team. President Harry S. Truman honored Henson in a ceremony in 1950, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower received him in the White House in 1954.
Henson died in New York City on March 9, 1955. In 1988 he was reburied in a military ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. He lies there next to Admiral Robert Peary.