John Henry - Definition and Overview

The name John Henry has several different meanings.

Real individuals:

• John Henry is an 18th century U.S. Senator from and Governor of Maryland.
• John Henry is a 19th century U.S. Representative from Illinois.
• John Flournoy Henry is a 19th century U.S. Representative from Kentucky.
• John Henry is the majority owner of the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball team.
• John Henry is a prominent toxicologist, a professor at Imperial College in London and a consultant to Britain's National Poisons Information Service.

Works of Fiction:

• John Henry is a 1931 novel by Roark Bradford, based on the African-American folk hero of the same name (see below). It was made into a Broadway play and later a musical featuring Paul Robeson in the title role and Ruby Elzy as Julie Anne.
• John Henry is a 1994 pop album by They Might Be Giants.
• John Henry is a 1995 pop song by Marques Bovre and the Evil Twins, from their album Flyover Land.

Other Notable Uses:

• John Henry, the "steel-driving man", is an African-American folk hero.
• John Henry is a racing horse named after the above folk hero.