Henson, Josiah (1789–1883)

US social activist and minister. He became a land superintendent and a Methodist preacher while still in slavery. He and his family escaped north to Canada in 1830 and settled in Ontario; there he tried to develop a community for African-American escapees but it failed to attract a significant number. He returned to the south and liberated other slaves. He told his story to Harriet Beecher Stowe and reputedly served as the inspiration for her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852).

Henson was born in Charles County, Maryland. He was sold at auction at an early age and endured great hardships in slavery. He published his autobiography in 1849. Henso made three trips to England and was honoured by Queen Victoria in 1876.