Matthew Henson was an African American explorer most known for accompanying Robert Peary on multiple expeditions to the Arctic, and in 1909 they claimed to be the first team to reach the North Pole. It has been long debated whether or not Peary and Henson actually reached the North Pole – there was even a Congressional hearing on the matter – but Henson’s life and accomplishments are remarkable nonetheless.
Matthew Henson was born in Charles County, Maryland in 1866 to freeborn sharecroppers. Both of his parents passed away before he reached the age of ten. Matthew eventually made his way to Baltimore where he found work as a cabin boy on a merchant ship named the Katie Hines.
Henson spent approximately five years working on the Katie Hines and in that time he visited countries throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe. He was also mentored by the ship’s captain, Captain Childs. From Captain Childs, Henson learned about navigation, nautical mathematics, geography, history, and how to read and write. When Captain Childs passed away in 1883, Henson left the Katie Hines and returned to Washington, D.C.
It was in D.C. in 1887 that Henson met Robert Edwin Peary, an explorer and an officer in the U.S. Navy Corps of Civil Engineers. After learning more about Henson and his work experience on the Katie Hines, Peary hired him to be his valet for an upcoming expedition to Nicaragua. While in Nicaragua, Henson proved to have valuable exploration and navigational skills. Henson and Peary went on to have a working relationship that spanned two decades.
Peary and Henson’s arctic expeditions took place in: 1891-1892; 1893-1894; 1895-1896; 1898-1902; 1905-1906; and 1908-1909 (the final expedition, of which they claimed to have reached the North Pole). While Peary and Henson are most remembered for their explorations of the arctic, their ability to explore was only achievable because of the assistance that they received from the Inuit people. In fact, Henson learned many important skills from the Inughuit in Greenland. He learned how to build igloos, he learned dog mushing, and he even became fluent in the Inuktun language. By all accounts, Matthew Henson spent the time establishing a relationship with the indigenous people of the area, while Peary more often remained distant.
Peary and Henson documented their expeditions in writing and through photography. The original photographic glass plates from those expeditions were donated to the National Geographic Society by Robert Peary’s wife, Josephine Diebitsch Peary. However, the National Archives also received several donations of textual materials and photographic prints from the Peary family. Those records can be found within the holdings of the National Archives Textual Branch, as well as the Still Picture Branch. The collection identifier is XP: Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary Family Collection. While the photographs found in the Still Picture Branch do not represent the complete set of expedition photographs, we do hold a significant number of prints that document Peary’s travels, as well as the Peary family. Photographs of Matthew Henson can be found throughout the collection.
Henson did not continue his arctic explorations after the 1908-1909 expedition. Additionally, while Henson did receive some recognition after returning from the arctic, most accolades and praise were given to Peary. Decades after the expeditions, however, researchers and academics began to reexamine Henson’s role. Henson was inducted into the Explorers Club in New York City in 1937 and received various awards from the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. Henson died in 1955 in New York City but in 1988, him and his wife, Lucy Ross Henson, were reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery.
The following series from the Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary Family Collection may pique the interest of those researching Matthew Henson and/or the Inughuit people that were on the Peary arctic expeditions. At this time, these series have not been fully digitized but the records are open and available to view in the Still Picture research room located in College Park, MD.
- XP-XPA: Photographs Relating to an 1886 Arctic Expedition
- XP-XPB: Photographs of Peary’s Greenland Expedition, 1891–1892
- XP-XPC: Photographs of Peary’s 1893-1895 Arctic Expeditions
- XP-XPF: Glass Negatives of Robert E. Peary, the Roosevelt and A Sledging Party
- XP-XPL: North Pole Expedition Photographic Album, ca. 1908
- XP-XPP: Photomechanical Reproductions, Galley Proofs, and Photographic Prints Relating to Robert E. Peary’s Arctic Explorations
- XP-XPR: Photographic Records and Printed Materials Relating to the S.S. Roosevelt
- XP-XPS: Photographic Prints of Subjects Relating to Polar Expeditions of Adm. Robert E. Peary, 1886–1939
- XP-XPU: Photographs Relating to the Arctic Expeditions of Robert E. Peary, January 1, 1891–October 30, 1897
- XP-XPV: Photographs Relating to Peary’s Arctic Expeditions, 1891-1906
- XP-XPW: Photographs Showing Arctic People and Their Culture, Landscape, and Wildlife
- XP-XPX: Photographs Relating to Admiral Peary’s 1898-1902 Expeditions to Greenland and Ellesmere Island, Canada
- XP-XPY: Photographs Taken During Robert E. Peary’s Arctic Expedition Of 1905-1906
- XP-XPZ: Photographs Relating to Robert E. Peary’s 1905-1906 Arctic Expedition
- XP-XPAA: Photographs Relating to Robert E. Peary’s 1908 to 1909 Arctic Expedition
- XP-XPAB: Photographs Relating to Robert Peary’s Efforts to Secure the Cape York Meteorites, 1896–1897
- XP-XPAE: Photographs from Robert E. Peary’s Arctic Sled Expedition, ca. 1902
Read more about Matthew Henson’s life and the records the National Archives holds related to him – New York City U.S. Custom House Employee: Matthew Henson