Matthew Henson: Education, Training, and the Making of an Arctic Explorer
Introduction
Matthew Alexander Henson (1866-1955) was an African American explorer renowned for his crucial role in Arctic expeditions with Robert Edwin Peary. Despite facing racial prejudice, Henson's skills and contributions were indispensable to their endeavors. This article explores the education and training that shaped Henson into a remarkable explorer, highlighting his early life experiences, maritime education, Arctic skills, and the recognition he eventually received.
Early Life and Foundational Education
Matthew Henson was born on August 8, 1866, in Charles County, Maryland, to freeborn Black sharecroppers. His early life was marked by hardship. Henson lost his mother at a young age, and when he was four years old, his father moved the family to Washington, D.C., seeking work. The death of his father a few years later left Henson and his siblings in the care of other family members.
At the age of 11, Henson left home to forge his own path. After a brief stint working in a restaurant, he traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, where he secured a position as a cabin boy on the ship Katie Hines. This marked the beginning of his practical education and training in seamanship.
Maritime Education and Global Exposure
Henson's time aboard the Katie Hines proved formative. Captain Childs, the ship's skipper, recognized Henson's potential and took him under his wing. Childs provided Henson with an education that included instruction in the finer points of seamanship, reading, writing, history, geography, literature, mathematics, and carpentry, utilizing the ship’s private library.
During his years on the Katie Hines, Henson traveled extensively, visiting Asia, Africa, and Europe. This exposure to different cultures and environments broadened his horizons and instilled in him a sense of adventure and adaptability. After his first voyage, he became an able-bodied seaman, and followed the sea for four years in that capacity, sailing to China, Japan, Manilla, North Africa, Spain, France, and through the Black Sea to Southern Russia.
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The skills and knowledge Henson acquired during his time at sea laid the foundation for his future career as an explorer. He honed his abilities as a sailor and craftsman, while also developing his literacy and expanding his understanding of the world.
Meeting Peary and Joining Arctic Expeditions
In 1884, Captain Childs died, and Henson eventually returned to Washington, D.C. There, he found work as a clerk in a hat shop. His life took a significant turn in 1887 when he met Robert E. Peary, a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Corps of Civil Engineers.
Impressed by Henson's seafaring credentials and energy, Peary hired him as his valet for an upcoming expedition to Nicaragua. This initial voyage proved successful, and Peary recognized Henson's value, making him his "first man" on all future expeditions.
After returning from Nicaragua, Peary found Henson work in Philadelphia, and in April 1891 Henson married Eva Flint. But shortly thereafter, Henson joined Peary again, for an expedition to Greenland. While there, Henson embraced the local Eskimo culture, learning the language and the natives' Arctic survival skills over the course of the next year. Their next trip to Greenland came in 1893, this time with a goal of charting the entire ice cap. The two-year journey almost ended in tragedy, with Peary's team on the brink of starvation; members of the team managed to survive by eating all but one of their sled dogs. Despite this perilous trip, the explorers returned to Greenland in 1896 and 1897, to collect three large meteorites they had found during their earlier quests, ultimately selling them to the American Museum of Natural History and using the proceeds to help fund their future expeditions.
Mastering Arctic Survival Skills
Henson's true education came from his immersion in Arctic culture and his adaptation to the harsh environment. During his first expedition to Greenland with Peary in 1891, Henson embraced the local Inuit culture. He learned the Inuktun language, mastered dog training, sled driving, and dogsled construction. He was the only expedition member to learn the Inuit language and master the skills of dog training, sled driving, and dogsled construction. These skills paved the way for him to become solely responsible for sled construction and maintenance on future Arctic expeditions.
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His ability to communicate with the Inuit, understand their customs, and learn their survival techniques proved invaluable to the success of the expeditions. The Inuit, in turn, respected Henson, calling him "Matthew the kind one." He learned to build igloos out of snow, for mobile housing as they traveled.
Henson's skill set expanded to include shooting, canoeing, woodwork, trail breaking, and surveying. He was also adept at hunting. His resourcefulness and adaptability made him an indispensable member of Peary's team.
The 1908-1909 North Pole Expedition and Henson's Role
The culmination of Henson's education and training came during the 1908-1909 expedition to reach the North Pole. Henson was an invaluable team member, building sledges and training others on their handling. Of Henson, expedition member Donald Macmillan once noted, "With years of experience equal to that of Peary himself, he was indispensable."
The expedition continued into the following year, and while other team members turned back, Peary and the ever-loyal Henson trudged on. Peary knew that the mission's success depended on his trusty companion, stating at the time, "Henson must go all the way. I can't make it there without him."
On April 6, 1909, Peary, Henson, four Eskimos and 40 dogs (the trip had begun with 24 men, 19 sledges and 133 dogs) finally reached the North Pole - or at least they claimed to have. According to journal entries, the team initially overshot the North Pole, and when they backtracked to their ultimate goal they found that Henson had already left boot prints at 90 degrees north latitude.
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Henson's ability to navigate using dead reckoning was also crucial. On one trip, Henson had estimated a thousand-mile journey in his head and was only off by 20 miles.
Overlooked Recognition and Later Years
Despite his vital contributions, Henson's achievements were initially overlooked due to racial prejudice. While Peary received accolades and fame, Henson's role was largely ignored.
Henson spent the next three decades working as a clerk in a New York federal customs house, but he never forgot his life as an explorer. He recorded his Arctic memoirs in 1912, in the book A Negro Explorer at the North Pole.
Recognition for Henson's accomplishments came later in his life. In 1937, the Explorers Club in New York accepted him as an honorary member. In 1944, he and the other members of the expedition were awarded a Congressional Medal. He worked with Bradley Robinson to write his biography, Dark Companion, which was published in 1947.
Legacy and Posthumous Honors
Henson died in New York City on March 9, 1955, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. The body of his wife, Lucy, was buried beside him in 1968. In a move to honor Henson, in 1987, President Ronald Reagan approved the transportation of Henson and Lucy's remains for reinterment at Arlington National Cemetery, per the request of Dr. S. Allen Counter of Harvard University. The national cemetery is also the burial site of Peary and his wife, Josephine.
In 2000, Henson was posthumously awarded the Hubbard Medal, the highest honor of the National Geographic Society. A crater on the moon was named after him in 2021.
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