Matthew Henson

Matthew Henson was born in Charles County, Maryland, to free Black parents who were sharecroppers. Orphaned young, he went to sea at about twelve as a cabin boy, and the ship's captain taught him to read and write and the skills of navigation. Working in a Washington hat shop, he met the naval officer Robert Peary, who hired him as a valet in 1887. Henson soon became Peary's most valuable companion on seven Arctic expeditions over more than twenty years. He learned to speak the Inuit language, built sledges, drove dog teams, and was skilled at hunting and surviving in the cold. On April 6, 1909, Peary, Henson and four Inuit men, Ootah, Egingwah, Seegloo and Ooqueah, reached what they believed was the North Pole; whether they reached the exact spot is still debated. Peary received most of the honor, while Henson worked for years as a clerk in the New York customs house. Late in life he received recognition, including membership in the Explorers Club in 1937. He died in 1955, and in 1988 he was reburied beside Peary at Arlington National Cemetery.

Faith: Faith not well documented. Source: Wikipedia