Matthew Henson Sees Some Recognition

Having had such an achievement as reaching the North Pole, Matthew Henson was not honored in any way by the white community, unlike Robert Bartlett who received awards and honors even though he never made it past the eighty seventh parallel.

The African American community, on the other hand, embraced Matthew Henson and saw him as a hero. With invitations to speak at black schools and colleges about his travels, he was highly regarded by some. He published his autobiography A Negro Explorer at the North Pole in 1912, which included an introduction by Booker T. Washington. Unfortunately that would be one of the last honors Henson would receive until 1937 when he was honored with a lifetime membership by the Explorers Club of New York. It was not until 1954 that Matthew Henson and his wife were hosted by President Eisenhower at the White House allowing him to witness some honors before his death in 1955.



Image Caption: This photograph titled "Matthew Henson shows President Eisenhower the location of the North Pole on a globe at the White House while his wife, Lucy Henson, watches" was taken in 1954 by a photographer from the New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper while they were visiting President Eisenhower at the White House, courtesy of the Library of Congress.