Josiah Henson
Josiah Henson (June 15, 1789 – May 5, 1883) was born into slavery in Charles County, Maryland. He escaped to Canada in 1830, and founded a settlement and labourer's school for other fugitive slaves at Dawn, Ontario. Henson's autobiography is believed to have inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. He died at Dresden, Ontario.
Josiah Henson is the first black person to be featured on a Canadian stamp. He has also been honoured by the government of Canada when in 1999, they erected a plaque designating Henson as a Canadian of National Historical Significance.
