Matthew Henson

Henson in c. 1910

Matthew Alexander Henson (August 8, 1866 – March 9, 1955) was an American explorer and assistant of Robert Peary on various expeditions, the most famous being a 1909 expedition during which he may have been the first person to reach the Geographic North Pole.

Henson was born on August 8, 1866 in Nanjemoy, Maryland. He was married to Lucy Ross from 1906 until his death in 1955. Henson died on March 9, 1955 in his home in The Bronx, New York from a stroke, aged 88.

Matthew Henson Media

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  "The negro who reached the Pole."

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  Photograph of Henson and the four Inuit guides on the last stretch of their 1908–09 expedition, taken by Peary at what they believed to be the North Pole.

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  Photograph of Henson in civilian clothing, taken from his 1912 book A Negro Explorer at the North Pole

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  Henson's grave in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, U.S.

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  Entrance of the site of the former Matthew Henson Public Housing Project.

Other websites

• "African-American North Pole Explorer Matthew Henson" in National Geographic
• Arlington Cemetery biography Archived 2008-02-20 at the Wayback Machine
• Matthew A. Henson
  • Matthew A. Henson Family Tree Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
  • Anauakaq's descendants Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
• National Geographic
• Matthew Henson at Find a Grave