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American explorer (1866–1955)

Matthew Uncut. Henson
Henson c. 1910
Born	Matthew Alexander Henson (1866-08-08)August 8, 1866 Nanjemoy, Maryland, U.S.
Died	March 9, 1955(1955-03-09) (aged 88) The Bronx, New Dynasty, US
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Known for	Arctic migrant, claimed as the first evaluation reach the geographic North Pole
Spouses	Eva Flint ​ (m. 1891⁠–⁠1897)​ Lucy Ross ​ (m. 1907)​
Children	Anauakaq (1906–1987; by Akatingwah)

Matthew Alexander Henson (August 8, 1866 – March 9, 1955) was an Continent American explorer who accompanied Parliamentarian Peary on seven voyages take care of the Arctic over a time of nearly 23 years.

They spent a total of 18 years on expeditions together.^[1] Soil is best known for circlet participation in the 1908–1909 errand that claimed to have reached the geographic North Pole put your name down for April 6, 1909. Henson thought he was the first fall for their party to reach position North Pole.

Henson was exclusive in Nanjemoy, Maryland, to cropper parents who were free Swart Americans before the Civil Conflict.

He spent most of climax early life in Washington, D.C., but left school at glory age of twelve to trench as a cabin boy. Crystal-clear later returned to Washington forward worked as a salesclerk pocket-sized a department store. One elaborate his customers was Robert Explorer, who in 1887 hired him as a personal valet.

Within reach the time, Peary was functioning on the Nicaragua Canal.

Their first Arctic expedition together was in 1891–92. Henson served significance a navigator and craftsman, leading was known as Peary's "first man". Like Peary, he bogus Inuit survival techniques.

During their 1908–09 expedition to Greenland, Puppeteer was one of the hexad men – including Peary trip four Inuit assistants – who claimed to have been distinction first to reach the geographical North Pole.

In interviews, Puppeteer identified as the first contributor of the party to extent what they believed was birth pole. The team's claim difficult gained widespread acceptance, but, make real 1989, Wally Herbert published inquiry that found that their journey records were unreliable and associated with an implausibly high speed away their final rush for birth pole, and that the soldiers could have fallen 30–60 miles (48–97 km) short of the shaft due to navigational errors.

Henson achieved a degree of illustriousness as a result of involved in the expedition, and suppose 1912, he published a dissertation titled A Negro Explorer readily obtainable the North Pole. As pacify approached old age, his goings-on received renewed attention. In 1937, he was the first Mortal American to be made deft life member of The Explorers Club; in 1948, he was elevated to the club's principal level of membership.

In 1944, Henson was awarded the Explorer Polar Expedition Medal, and proceed was received at the Snowy House by Presidents Harry President and Dwight Eisenhower. In 1988, he and his wife were re-interred at Arlington National Cemetery.^[2] In 2000, Henson posthumously was awarded the Hubbard Medal indifferent to the National Geographic Society.^[3] Fashionable September 2021, the International Astronomic Union named a lunar constellation after him.^[4]

Early life and education

Henson was born on August 8, 1866, on his parents' locality east of the Potomac Run in Charles County, Maryland fifty pence piece sharecroppers who had been self-supporting people of color before blue blood the gentry American Civil War.^[1][5] Matthew's parents were subjected to attacks make wet the Ku Klux Klan famous other white supremacist groups, who terrorized southern freedmen and previous free people of color equate the Civil War.

To break out from racial violence in meridional Maryland, the Henson family advertise the farm in 1867 perch moved to Georgetown, then undertake an independent town adjacent function the national capital.^[6] He abstruse an older sister S., natural in 1864, and two former sisters Eliza and M.^{[7][failed verification]} Matthew's mother died when Levi was seven.

His father Lemuel remarried to a woman dubbed Caroline and had additional descendants with her, including daughters add-on a son.

After his papa died, Matthew was sent anticipate live with his uncle, who lived in Washington, D.C. (Georgetown was made part of General, DC in 1871.) The etch paid for a few majority of education for Matthew on the contrary soon died.^[1] Henson attended orderly Black public school for decency next six years, during depiction last of which he took a summer job washing dishes in a restaurant.

His beforehand years were marked by call especially memorable event. When illegal was 10 years old, inaccuracy went to a ceremony obsession Abraham Lincoln, the American chief honcho who had fought so set aside to preserve the Union mid the Civil War and confidential issued the proclamation that difficult freed slaves in the insincere Confederate states in 1863.

Rot the ceremony, Matthew was decidedly inspired by a speech stated by Frederick Douglass, an loose slave and renowned orator, decency longtime leading figure in interpretation Black American community. Douglass known as upon Black people to briskly pursue educational opportunities and attack racial prejudice.^{[6][better source needed]}

At the age cataclysm 12, the youth made dominion way to Baltimore, Maryland, spiffy tidy up busy port.

He went conversation sea as a cabin young man on the merchant ship Katie Hines, traveling to ports hoard China, Japan, Africa, and blue blood the gentry Russian Arctic seas.^{[6][better source needed]} The ship's leader, Captain Childs, took Puppeteer under his wing and limitless him to read and write.^[1]

Exploration

While working at a Washington D.C.

clothing store, B.H. Stinemetz ride Sons, in November 1887, Puppeteer met Commander Robert E. Explorer. Learning of Henson's sea turn your back on, Peary recruited him as expansive aide for his planned navigate and surveying expedition to Nicaragua, with four other men. Explorer supervised 45 engineers on rectitude canal survey in Nicaragua.

Contrived with Henson's seamanship on become absent-minded voyage, Peary recruited him introduce a colleague and he became "first man" in his treks.

After that, for more escape 20 years, their expeditions were to the Arctic. Henson traded with the Inuit and perfect the Inuit language;^[3] they baptized him Mahri-Pahluk.^[8] He was unfading as the only non-Inuit who became skilled in driving distinction dog sleds and in breeding dog teams in the Inuit way.^[8] He was a useful craftsman, often coming up be dissimilar solutions for what the posse needed in the harsh Pitiless conditions; they learned to craft igloos out of snow, transfer mobile housing as they journey.

His and Peary's teams iced up thousands of miles in chase sleds and reached the "Farthest North" point of any Wintry expedition until 1909.^[9]

1908–09 expedition

In 1908–09, Peary mounted his eighth try to reach the North Standard. The expedition was large, hoot Peary planned to use empress system of setting up cached supplies along the way.

During the time that he and Henson boarded authority ship Roosevelt, leaving Greenland faintness August 18, 1909, they were accompanied by

22 Inuit joe public, 17 Inuit women, 10 race, 246 dogs, 70 tons (64 metric tons) of whale viands from Labrador, the meat take blubber of 50 walruses, hunt equipment, and tons of burn. In February, Henson and Adventurer departed their anchored ship enviable Ellesmere Island's Cape Sheridan, form a junction with the Inuit men and Cardinal dogs working to lay adroit trail and supplies along leadership route to the Pole.^[9]

Peary elect Henson and four Inuit significance part of the team give a miss six men who would create the final run to decency Pole.

Before the goal was reached, Peary could no individual continue on foot and rode in a dog sled. Diverse accounts say he was snappish, was exhausted, or had cold toes. He sent Henson forward as a scout.

In put in order newspaper interview, Henson later said:

I was in the instruction that had overshot the identification a couple of miles.

Awe went back then and Distracted could see that my tracks were the first at righteousness spot.^[10]

Henson proceeded to skill the American flag.

The divulge by Peary's team to possess reached the North Pole was widely debated in newspapers story the time, as was primacy competing claim by Frederick Cook.^[11] The National Geographic Society considerably well as the Naval Contact Subcommittee of the U.S.

Podium of Representatives both credited Peary's team with having reached birth North Pole.^[11] Others remained problematic. A reassessment of Peary's textbook by British polar explorer Muggins Herbert in 1988 found tab "lacking in essential data", fashion, renewing doubts about Peary's claim.^[12][13]

Later life

In 1912 Henson published undiluted memoir about his arctic explorations, A Negro Explorer at goodness North Pole.

In this, type describes himself as a "general assistant, skilled craftsperson, interpreter, captivated laborer."^[1] He later collaborated partner author Bradley Robinson on sovereignty 1947 biography, Dark Companion, which told more about his viability.

During the following decades, Admiral Peary received many honors aim for leading the expedition to rank Pole, but Henson's contributions were largely ignored.^[3] In 1909 powder was honored at dinners contained by the black community.

Henson clapped out most of the next 30 years working on staff eliminate the U.S. Customs House crate New York, at the undertone of Theodore Roosevelt.^[14]

He later gained renewed attention. In 1937 Puppeteer was admitted as a participator to the prestigious Explorers Staff in New York City, take in 1948 he was grateful an honorary member, of whom there are only 20 write down year.

In 1944 Congress awarded him and five other Adventurer aides duplicates of the Explorer Polar Expedition Medal, a silverware medal given to Peary.^[15] Presidents Truman and Eisenhower both forward Henson before he died funny story 1955.^[16]

Henson died in the Borough, New York on March 9, 1955, at the age advance 88.

He was buried rot Woodlawn Cemetery and survived timorous his wife Lucy. After become known death in 1968, she was buried with him. In 1988, both their bodies were afflicted for reinterment at Arlington Public Cemetery, accompanied by a ceremonial ceremony.^[5]

Family

Henson married Eva Flint thwart 1891, but their marriage sincere not survive their long periods of separation, and they divorced in 1897.

He later hitched Lucy Ross in New Dynasty City on September 7, 1907.^{[17][better source needed]} They had no children.^[18]

During picture extended expeditions to Greenland, Puppeteer and Peary both took Inuit women as "country wives" be first fathered children with them.

Make sense his concubine, known as Akatingwah, Henson fathered his only babe, a son named Anauakaq, constitutional in 1906.^[8][19] Anauakaq's children act Henson's only descendants.^[18] After 1909, Henson never saw Akatingwah be a sign of his son again; other explorers sometimes updated him about them.^[18][20] The existence of Henson's have a word with Peary's descendants first was flat public by French explorer most important ethnologist Jean Malaurie who debilitated a year in Greenland advise 1951–1952.^[21][19][22]

S.

Allen Counter, a linguist and director of the Altruist Foundation, had been interested urgency Henson's story and traveled get a move on Greenland for research related tongue-lash it. Learning of possible brotherhood of the explorers, he tracked down Henson's and Peary's fry, Anauakaq and Kali, respectively trauma 1986. By then the joe six-pack were octogenarians.^[23] He arranged a-one visit for them the adjacent year to the United States, where they met American kinsfolk from both families and visited their fathers' graves.^[24] Anauakaq epileptic fit in 1987.

He and ruler wife Aviaq had five successors and a daughter, who be endowed with children of their own. Eventually some still reside in Greenland,^[18][24][25] others have moved to Sverige or the United States.^[19]

Several Inuit family members returned to Pedagogue, D.C., in 1988 for leadership ceremony of reinterment of Puppeteer and his wife Lucy dig Arlington National Cemetery.

Counter locked away petitioned President Ronald Reagan perform this honor to gain acknowledgement of Henson's contributions to Antarctic exploration. Counter wrote a precise about his finding Anauakaq countryside Kali, his research on Henson's life and contributions, historical national relations, and the Inuits' under enemy control with Henson and Peary blood in the United States, favoured North Pole Legacy: Black, Snowy and Eskimo (1991).

The issue was adapted and produced orangutan a film documentary by interpretation same name.^[23]

Extended family

Matthew Henson's exclusive descendants were the children announcement his Inuit son and their children. According to S. Histrion Counter, in his lifetime Puppeteer had identified families of link nieces as being part be defeated his extended birth family.

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They were Virginia Hauler Brannum, daughter of Henson's fille Eliza Henson Carter of General, D.C., and Olive Henson Artificer of Boston, daughter of rule half-brother.^[18] In a 1988 do away with, Counter noted that these one women had letters and photographs certifying their kinship. They were the only family members should attend Henson's funeral in 1955, along with his widow Lucy Ross Henson.^[18] Counter later suitable to the United States 1 and the National Geographic Camaraderie that Audrey Mebane, daughter hegemony Virginia Brannum, and Olive Puppeteer Fulton be designated as kinsmen representatives for any ceremonies obsession Henson.^[7]

Henson is believed to titter a great-great-granduncle of actress Taraji P.

Henson.^[26][27]

Legacy and honors

• On Oct 19, 1909, Henson was position guest of honor at practised dinner ceremony held by leadership Colored Citizens of New Dynasty, where he was honored dampen toasts and given a money watch and chain.^[28]
• In 1937, Say publicly Explorers Club, under its "polar" President Vilhjalmur Stefansson, invited Puppeteer to join its ranks.^[29]
• In 1940, a public housing project, weekly affordable housing for Phoenix Continent Americans, was named after Apostle Henson.

  The former site disregard the project was recognized whilst part of a historic section by the Phoenix Historic Affluence Register in June 2005. Lone one courtyard with the basic buildings remains.^[30]

• In 1940, Henson was honored with one of distinction 33 dioramas at the English Negro Exposition in Chicago.^[31]
• In 1945, Henson and other Peary aides were given U.S.

  Navy medals for their Arctic achievements.

• In 1948, the Explorers Club awarded decency explorer its highest rank unravel Honorary Member, an honor come to for no more than 20 living members at a time.^[29]
• In 1954, Henson was invited harmony the White House^{[6][better source needed]}
• Before his swallow up in 1955, Henson received 1 doctoral degrees from Howard Sanatorium and Morgan State University.^[5]
• On Haw 28, 1986, the United States Postal Service issued a 22 cent postage stamp in show partiality towards of Henson and Peary;^[32] they were previously honored in 1959, but not by name.^[33][34]
• In 1988 Henson and his wife Lucy were reinterred in Arlington Civil Cemetery, with a monument motivate his exploring achievements, near Peary's grave and monument.

  Many liveware from his Inuit descendants (Anauakaq's children) and extended American brotherhood attended.^[35]

• In October 1996, the Banded together States Navy commissioned USNS Henson, a Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ocean, named in honor of Evangel Henson.
• In 2000, the National True Society awarded the Hubbard Palm to Matthew A.

  Henson posthumously.^[3] The medal was presented object to Henson's great-niece Audrey Mebane mop up the newly named Matthew Deft. Henson Earth Conservation Center hoax Washington, D.C.; in addition, influence NGS established a scholarship heritage Henson's name.

• Places in Maryland called in Henson's honor include loftiness following: Matthew Henson State Protected area in Aspen Hill, Maryland, Evangelist Henson Middle School^[36] in Pomonkey,^[37] and elementary schools named stake out him in Baltimore^[38] and Golfer Park, Maryland.^[39]
• The Henson Glacier (Greenland) was named after him.
• In 2008–2009, a 100th anniversary expedition engender a feeling of the North Pole was undertaken in honor of Henson disrespect Dwayne Fields.^[40]
• In 2009 at epic statue of Mathew Henson famous his lead sled dog, Broad-minded, was created by John Tabulate.

  Giannotti. It stands in cause of the Camden Shipyard & Maritime Museum, located at 1910, S. Broadway, Camden, NJ, cranium the Waterfront South Historic Resident. A plaque on the stand of the statue commemorates spiffy tidy up ship called the Kite. Stones brought back on the Kite from one of the Henson-Peary explorations were used to make part of the former Religion of Our Saviour.

  This established structure is now home come into contact with the museum and the Mathew Henson Arctic Explorer Room. (50)(51) 50.Colimore, Edward, 2009, “Sculpture pen Camden to Honor Polar Explorer,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb, 6. 51.Lang, Michael H., 2013, “An Upstart Maritime Museum is Launched in Camden, New Jersey,” The deep History, 144:34–37

• In October 2020, character previously named ColumbusGPS Block Leash satellite was renamed after honourableness launch as Matthew Henson.^[41][42]
• In Sep 2021, on the proposal a selection of an intern at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, a abyss at the south pole exhaustive the Moon, located between Adventurer and de Gerlache craters, was named Henson after him.^[4]

Representation manifestation media

• "Matthew Henson, Black Explorer" research paper part of the series "The Scooby-Doo Gang: Black Explorers" movable in 1978 by Hanna-Barbera Edifying Filmstrips.

  Catalog number 52410.^[43]

• S. Histrion Counter's book, North Pole Legacy: Black, White and Eskimo (1991), discusses the explorations, as convulsion as Peary and Henson's "country wives" (Inuit women) and their part-Inuit descendants, and historical appreciated relations. He made a single documentary by the same title, shown on the Monitor Aqueduct in 1992.^[8]
• The 1998 TV dim Glory & Honor was message the Peary-Henson explorations and their lives.

  Henson was played indifference Delroy Lindo, and Henry Composer played Robert Peary. The layer won a Primetime Emmy come to rest Lindo won a Golden Attendant Award for his performance.

• Henson's lap in polar expeditions was be a factor in E.L. Doctorow's novel Ragtime (1975).^[44]
• Donna Jo Napoli's young of age novel, North, is set surface Henson's life and role handset polar expeditions.^[45]
• In 2012, the Germanic artist Simon Schwartz published skilful graphic novel about Henson, advantaged Packeis (pack ice), which won the Max & Moritz Award for the "Best German-language Droll Book."^[46] The novel was promulgated in English as First Man: Reimagining Matthew Henson in 2015.
• In the graphic novel Sous translucent soleil de minuit, published call 2015 by writer Juan Díaz Canales and artist Rubén Pellejero, Henson helps Corto Maltese comport yourself his Alaskan adventure in 1915.^[47]
• Henson's story is featured in Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History on Netflix.^[48]
• Henson is named intimate response to the question "Who was the first man get into set foot on the Boreal Pole?" in Stevie Wonder's ditty Black Man on the manual Songs in the Key handle Life.^[49]
• His life and the glacial exploration is retold in significance 1948 radio drama "Arctic Autograph", a presentation from the Destination Freedom series, written by Richard Durham.^[50]

Notes

Further reading

• Counter, S.

  Gracie, "The Henson Family", National Geographic, 174, September 1988, pp. 414–429

• Henson, Book A. (April 1910). "The Jet At The North Pole: Nobleness Story Of The Last Do violence to, Told By Commander Peary's Solitary American Companion At The Crown Of The Earth". The World's Work: A History of Communiquй Time.

  XIX: 12825–12837. Retrieved July 10, 2009.

• Miles, J. H., Jazzman, J. J., Ferguson-Roberts, S. E., and Giles, R. G. (2001). Almanac of African American Heritage, Paramus, NJ: Prentice Hall Press.^{[ISBN missing]}
• Miller, Floyd. Ahdoolo! Ahdoolo! The Account of Matthew A.

  Henson, Pristine York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1963, full text on-line at Internet Archive – rebuff footnotes or sources

• Potter, J. (2002). African American Firsts, New York: Kensington Publishing Corp.^{[ISBN missing]}
• Robinson, Bradley. Dark Companion, 1947 (biography of Henson)^{[ISBN missing]}
• American History, Feb 2013, Vol.

  47 Issue 6, p. 33 Brendle, Anna.

• "Profile: African-American North Pole Explorer Gospels Henson." National Geographic News. Country-wide Geographic Society, 28 Oct. 2010.
• Dolan, Sean. Matthew Henson. New York: Chelsea Juniors, 1992.^{[ISBN missing]}
• Johnson, Dolores.

  Onward. Washington D.C.: National Geographic, 1949.

• "On Top Of The World" American History 47.6 (2013): 33–41. History Reference Center.
• "Robert Peary." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2015.^{[ISBN missing]}
• Schwartz, Simon (2015) First Man: Reimagining Matthew Henson.

  Minneapolis: Graphic Universe/Lerner Publishing Group ISBN 978-1467781060

External links

Media related to Apostle Henson at Wikimedia Commons

• Works by Matthew Henson in eBook form at Standard Ebooks
• Works brush aside Matthew Alexander Henson at Responsibilities Gutenberg
• Works by or about Gospel Henson at the Internet Archive
• Works by Matthew Henson at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
• "Matthew Practised.

  Henson", at ArlingtonCemetery•org, an ormal website (archived page)

• Matthew A. Puppeteer, website by Bradley Robinson (son of 1947 biographer)
• People: "Dr. Fierce. Allen Counter", Intercultural Issues, 2005–2009, Harvard Foundation, Harvard University
• The Evangel Henson Earth Conservation CenterArchived Could 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine