The Peary Polar Expedition Medal was a

commemorative medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

awarded to six of the participants of the 1908–1909 Expedition to the North Pole, led by

Robert Peary Robert Edwin Peary Sr. (; May 6, 1856 – February 20, 1920) was an American explorer and officer in the United States Navy who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for, in Apri ...

. Authorized by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

in 1944, the silver medals were presented by the

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

Establishment

The medal was established by

Private Law Private law is that part of a civil law legal system which is part of the ''jus commune'' that involves relationships between individuals, such as the law of contracts and torts (as it is called in the common law), and the law of obligations ( ...

78-166 on January 28, 1944. The law was entitled, "An act to provide for the presentation of silver medals to certain members of the Peary Polar Expedition of 1908-1909." The law authorized the Secretary of the Navy to have made at the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...

, silver medals with which to reward six individuals for their service to the expedition. The medals were to be presented in the name of Congress. Absent from the list of recipients was Peary himself.

Appearance

The medal is in diameter. The

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...

depicts a figure of Peary in a fur hooded parka, holding the tip of a walking pole in his right hand. Below the figure of Peary are the words in three lines: ''PEARY POLAR EXPEDITION 1908-09''. Around the outside are the points of a

compass rose A compass rose, sometimes called a wind rose, rose of the winds or compass star, is a figure on a compass, map, nautical chart, or monument used to display the orientation of the cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west) and their int ...

with north being indicated at the top by a

fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

. The reverse bears the eight line inscription: ''PRESENTED IN THE NAME OF CONGRESS IN RECOGNITION OF HIS EFFORTS AND SERVICES AS A MEMBER OF THE PEARY POLAR EXPEDITION OF 1908-09 IN THE FIELD OF SCIENCE AND FOR THE CAUSE OF POLAR EXPLORATION BY AIDING IN THE DISCOVERY OF THE NORTH POLE BY ADMIRAL PEARY''. Above the inscription is an American flag with a sled dog on either side. Below the inscription is a space to engrave the recipient's name resting on the depiction of snowshoes at the bottom. The medal is suspended from a white ribbon with an ice-blue stripe toward each edge.

Recipients

Peary Polar Expedition Medal presentation

The six recipients of the medal, specified in the authorizing act of Congress, were: *Captain Robert A. Bartlett (1875–1946) * George Borup (1885–1912) *Dr.

John Goodsell John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

(1873–1949) * Matthew A. Henson (1866–1955) *Rear Admiral

Donald B. MacMillan Donald Baxter MacMillan (November 10, 1874 – September 7, 1970) was an American explorer, sailor, researcher and lecturer who made over 30 expeditions to the Arctic during his 46-year career. He pioneered the use of radios, airplanes, an ...

, USNR (1874–1970) * Ross Gilmore Marvin (1880–1909) Although eligible, Peary himself was not awarded the medal, for unknown reasons. MacMillan and Bartlett received their medals in May 1945; Goodsell and Henson received theirs the following month. Borup's sister accepted his medal in June 1945, and Marvin's family received his medal in 1949.

References

{{reflist, 30em Awards established in 1944 Awards and decorations of the United States Navy