Matthew Henson: The Untold Story of America’s Pioneering Black Polar Explorer

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Matthew Henson was the first African American to become a successful Arctic explorer. According to some accounts, he may have been the first person to reach the North Pole. However, Henson rarely received credit from his contemporaries for his achievements, as most people preferred to praise Robert Peary, who fit their ideal image of an American explorer. Over time, the world began to recognize that Matthew Henson was one of the greatest explorers in American history. He was awarded medals, honorary doctorates, and had parks, schools, and even a glacier named after him. He was also reburied at Arlington National Cemetery. Matthew Henson is no longer simply an asterisk in someone else’s career.

Matthew Alexander Henson was born shortly after the end of the American Civil War on August 8, 1866, in Nanjemoy, Maryland. Even before the abolition of slavery, his parents had been free Black Americans who made a modest living as sharecroppers. Despite their freed status, they still had to contend with racism and terror attacks from the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists. In search of a safer environment for their children, the Henson family moved to Georgetown, near Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, both parents died in the years that followed, and young Matthew found himself an orphan in the care of his uncle.

One event in Henson’s childhood had a profound impact on him. When he was 10 years old, he attended a ceremony to honor Abraham Lincoln, where Frederick Douglass was a keynote speaker. Douglass urged young Black people to seek an education to combat racial prejudices and inequality. Inspired by these words, Henson made his way to Baltimore, Maryland, where he found a job in 1878 as a cabin boy aboard a three-masted merchant ship called the Katie Hines, under Captain Charles. Henson spent the next six years of his life on that vessel, where he received an education and learned various skills that would later prove useful in his career as an explorer.

By the time he turned 20, Henson had traveled to the Far East, North Africa, and the Arctic seas. After Captain Charles passed away in 1887, Henson left the Katie Hines to find a new vocation. He took a safe but boring job as a clerk for a furrier’s shop in Washington, D.C. However, his life changed forever when a navy officer named Robert Peary came looking to sell walrus and seal pelts brought from Greenland. Peary, an engineer and explorer, was determined to become the first man to reach the North Pole. He recognized Henson’s potential and offered him a position as his aide for an upcoming surveying expedition to Nicaragua. Henson eagerly accepted the offer, marking the beginning of a partnership that would take them to the ends of the earth.

The following year, Henson found himself in the rainforests of Central America as Peary’s personal assistant. Over the next two years, Henson helped Peary create a map of Nicaragua’s tropical forests. After returning to the United States, Henson knew that a life behind a desk was not for him. By 1891, he had started building a regular life for himself, but Peary had received leave from the navy to continue his exploration of Greenland and sought Henson’s assistance once again.

The North Greenland expedition set sail from New York in June 1891. Their main mission was to explore Greenland and determine if it was an island or a peninsula. Henson became a jack of all trades during the expedition, serving as a navigator, mapmaker, hunter, fisherman, translator, carpenter, and dog handler. Unlike many explorers, Henson and Peary recognized the value of the local Inuit people’s knowledge of Arctic survival. Henson showed a genuine interest in Inuit culture, learned their language, and earned their respect.

The expedition accomplished its goals, though not without hardships. After several successful missions, Henson and Peary aimed to set a new record for the farthest north reached by humanity. Their next voyage occurred between 1898 and 1902, but Peary suffered severe frostbite, which kept him sidelined for a while. They returned to the Arctic in 1905 with a powerful steamship, the SS Roosevelt.

In 1908, Henson set off on his seventh and final Arctic mission with Peary, determined to reach the North Pole. They faced numerous challenges, and on April 6, 1909, Henson and Peary made camp for the last time. The next morning, Henson claimed to be the first man to sit on top of the world. However, the mood between him and Peary grew tense, as Peary sought to claim the glory for himself.

Despite Henson’s crucial role in the expedition, racial prejudices led many to dismiss him as merely a sidekick. Even after publishing his memoir, “A Negro Explorer at the North Pole,” Henson remained largely ignored. Peary’s claims of reaching the North Pole were later challenged by Frederick Cook, leading to a debate over who had truly succeeded.

After his Arctic days, Henson lived a quiet life, working at the U.S. Customs House in New York City. He married again and had a son, but his accomplishments were largely forgotten while Peary received numerous honors. It wasn’t until 1937 that Henson was made an honorary member of the Explorers Club of New York, and a decade later, he received a medal from the U.S. Navy.

Matthew Henson’s final tribute came in 1954 when President Dwight Eisenhower invited him to the White House for a special commendation. Henson passed away on March 9, 1955, in the Bronx at age 88. In 1988, following a special exception granted by President Ronald Reagan, Henson and his wife were reburied at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors, finally receiving the recognition he deserved as one of the great explorers of his time.