Matthew Henson's mother died when he was very young. After
she died, his father moved his family to Washington D.C. Then
his father died when Matthew was only eleven years old. The uncle
 with whom he lived was so mean to him that Matthew ran away
 from home. He was only thirteen years old.

He had no place to go, so he found a job at a small restaurant,
 and the owner took pity on him and let him sleep on the floor
of the restaurant at night.

Next a sea captain hired him to work on his ship. During the next
 few years he sailed around the world, learned to read, and
 learned about ships and navigation.

At one point when he was between voyages, he worked for a
man who owned a store which sold supplies to men embarking
 on expeditions. This is where he met Robert Peary.

Peary was so impressed with Henson's credentials he made him
 his assistant and right-hand-man on his expeditions.

The first trip they made together was to Nicaragua to chart the
 jungle there. He spent twenty years of his life traveling and
exploring with Robert Peary.

He was with Peary for seven years in the Arctic where they
covered 9,000 miles on dogsleds. On the final trip in 1909
 they finally reached the North Pole. Henson said he was the
first man there because he was at the front of the sled and
Peary was riding in the back of the sled.

Peary, of course, took credit for being first since it was his
 expedition. His attitude toward his assistant changed, and
Henson was pushed out of the limelight. Peary wanted the
attention to be focused only on him, and he did not want
Henson to receive credit for his hard work.

After the expedition, Henson could not get a very good job.
Then four years later President Taft assigned to him the title
of clerk in the New York Customs House. He held this post
for 23 years. During those years Henson attended Harvard
University and earned a master's degree.

After many years he began to be recognized for his
contribution to the polar exploration. In 1944 Matthew Henson
 received the Congressional Medal of Honor. In 1954
President Eisenhower presented him with an award. Another
 honor was bestowed on him when the Explorer's Club
 accepted him as a member. A ship was named after him;
 the U.S.N.S. Henson, schools were named after him, and
 other honors were given in his memory.

Matthew Henson was survived by an only son, Anauakaq,
whose mother was an Inuit woman named Akatingwah.
Anauakaq once visited his father's family and the site where
Henson was buried.

In 1988 Henson's body was moved to Arlington National
Cemetery where he was interred near the place where
Robert Peary was buried. Those in attendance included
 his American family as well as his Inuit family.

At last, Matthew Henson was recognized for his contribution
to the successful North Pole expedition.