Sir Edmund Hillary, best known for the historic achievement of being the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest, also made history in the Antarctic. Together with Sir Vivian Fuchs, he led the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1955-58) which made the first successful overland crossing of the continent. He later led another Antarctic expedition which included the first ascent of Mount Herschel. He has received many honors and awards, and is honorary president of New York's Explorers Club. Sir Edmund was for many years the New Zealand High Commissioner in India.
The truth is that Hillary *and* Tenzing Norgey were the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Both Tenzing and Hillary wanted the achievment to belong to both of them, not to one or the other.