Mat Henson

by Charles Alston

Explorer Mat Henson
Only living American to set foot on the North Pole.

Henson, famed as an arctic explorer, began his career in the jungles of Central America! &tilda; Peary, so impressed with young Henson's ability, kept him as his lieutenant on all his subsequent explorations.

Henson's great knowledge of Eskimo life and language, and his engaging personality, made him the most indispensable member of the expedition. — For the final dash to the pole Peary chose five men – four Eskimos and Mat Henson.

According to Commander MacMillan, it was Henson who actually planted the Stars and Stripes on the top of the world, while Peary, exhausted and ill, sat on the sledge and feebly waved his hand.

Mat Henson, Only living American to set foot on the North Pole., by Charles Henry Alston, in the Charles Henry Alston Papers #4931, Southern Hisorical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

See Also: Mat Henson, Only living American to set foot on the North Pole., by Charles Henry Alston, National Archives Identifier: 535688 Local Identifier: 208-COM-225, Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. News Bureau. 6/13/1942-9/15/1945