Matthew henson north pole biography of martin

Matthew Alexander Henson August 8, — March 9, was an African American explorer who accompanied Robert Peary on seven voyages to the Arctic over a period of nearly 23 years. They spent a total of 18 years on expeditions together. Henson said he was the first of their party to reach the North Pole. He spent most of his early life in Washington, D.

He later returned to Washington and worked as a salesclerk at a department store.

10 facts about matthew henson

One of his customers was Robert Peary, who in hired him as a personal valet. At the time, Peary was working on the Nicaragua Canal. Their first Arctic expedition together was in — Henson served as a navigator and craftsman, and was known as Peary's "first man". Like Peary, he studied Inuit survival techniques. During their —09 expedition to Greenland, Henson was one of the six men — including Peary and four Inuit assistants — who claimed to have been the first to reach the geographic North Pole.

In interviews, Henson identified as the first member of the party to reach what they believed was the pole.