author

Matthew Alexander Henson

1866–1955

An Arctic explorer and skilled navigator, this trailblazing adventurer spent years on difficult expeditions with Robert E. Peary and became widely known for reaching the North Pole in 1909. His memoir, The Negro Explorer at the North Pole, helped tell the story in his own words after decades of being overlooked.

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A Negro Explorer at the North Pole

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole

by Matthew Alexander Henson

About the author

Born in Maryland in 1866, Matthew Alexander Henson became one of the great figures of polar exploration. As a young man he went to sea, learned navigation and practical seamanship, and later joined Robert E. Peary on multiple expeditions to the Arctic.

Henson was known for his endurance, mechanical skill, and ability to travel and work closely with Inuit communities, whose knowledge was essential to Arctic survival. He is best remembered for the 1909 expedition in which Peary claimed to have reached the North Pole, with Henson playing a central role and later being recognized as one of the first people to get there.

For many years his achievements did not receive the attention they deserved, but his reputation grew over time. Today he is remembered as a pioneering Black explorer, and his life story remains an important part of the history of exploration.