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Matthew Henson
Artic Explorer
Scott # 2223
Issued May 28, 1986 in North Pole, AK
Design by Dennis Lyall
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Matthew Henson was born on August 8, 1866 in
Charles County, Maryland.
Matt was orphaned as a child and ran away to
the sea after his parents died. At the age of 12 he signed on as cabin boy
aboard the Katie Hines. He served on board the Katie Hines for the next six
years including trips to the Far East.
Matt was 18 years old and working in a
Washington D.C. hat store when he met Robert
E. Peary. Robert hired Matt as a valet for his upcoming expedition
to Nicaragua in 1888. Robert was impressed with Matt's skills and
resourcefulness and employed him on seven Artic Expeditions including the
famous 1909 polar expedition in which they became the First
to Reach the North Pole. (Note 1)
Matt married Eva Flint in 1891, however his
continuous trips with Peary led to the breakup of the marriage and their
eventual divorce in 1897.
Matt and Robert left on their first expedition
to Greenland in 1891. They covered and impressive 1300 miles on this trip.
Matt and Robert's first serious attempt at reaching the pole came in 1898.
They reached latitude 84'17" north by 1899 but were forced to retreat in
1902. In 1908 after several other unsuccessful attempts, Matt and Robert
embarked on their last attempt to reach the pole. There were twenty-six men in
the expedition along with numerous well trained and equipped Inuit hunters and
trackers. They used nineteen sledges and one hundred thirty-three dogs. The
expedition reached the 88 parallel in late March of 1909. On April 6, 1909
Matthew Henson and Robert Peary reached their ultimate goal. Matt, who usually
broke trail ahead of the main body may have been the first to actually reach
the North Pole. (Note 3)
Matt was a Jack-of-All-Trades, he
spoke fluent Inuit
(Note 2) and he was well versed in carpentry and blacksmithing.
Matt built the sledges which were used on the expedition and was also the
principal driver.
Matt wrote an account of the expedition in 1912
called, A
Negro Explorer at the North Pole and in 1913 President
William Howard Taft secured an appointment for Matt as a clerk in
the U.S. Customs House in New York City. Matt held that post until his
retirement in 1936.
Matt received a Congressional Medal
in 1944 for his part in the 1909 expedition and in 1937 he was made an
honorary member of the Explorers
Club.
Matthew Henson died in New York City on March
9, 1955. He was commemorated on the stamp depicted above in 1986 and in 1988
was reburied at Arlington National Cemetery with full honors.
Note 1. There is quite a bit of
controversy over whether Matthew and Perry actually reached the geographical
North Pole. Many scholars today believe that they were actually a couple of
miles off. In any event, their feat was prodigious and deserving of acclaim
whether they reached the actual pole or not.
Note 2. The Inuit
are the indigenous native people living in the far north who provided
assistance and support for the expedition. Both Matthew and Perry were
involved in personal relationships with Inuit women and Matthew Henson has
family living in Greenland to this day.
Note 3. The
United States Army - District of Washington (an official
government Website) states, "On that historic day, it was Henson,
an African-American, who first reached the Pole and planted the American flag."
Matthew Henson's book A
Negro Explorer at the North Pole can be purchased online at
Amazon.com
Sources:
Encyclopedia
Africana
Encyclopedia Britannica
United States
Army - District of Washington
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