Henry Black was an outlaw during his mortal life. Of the details, he'll say no more than that he was a sinner and that he's been given a second chance to redeem himself. He came to Shreveport not long after his Embrace (of which he also will say nothing) and settled in with his pack to try and find their own peace. As luck would have it, though, the Civil War erupted not long after and Camarilla forces attempted to claim the town for themselves. The resulting conflict led to the destruction of all the other Sabbat, but Henry managed to hold the Camarilla off single-handedly for years until reinforcements arrived.
When the cease-fire came, war weary and despairing at the violence which had claimed his breathren, Henry began to look for new answers. He found them in the words of Father Pryce, who he eventually inducted into his state so that he might find atonement for his own sins. In the years that followed, he began a much more subtle effort to drive out the Camarilla, using his ties to the town and his more sublime gifts, and was suprised at his ability to purge them successfully. Seeing this as proof of Father Pryce's words, he gave himself fully to his beliefs.
When Julia Kirchner and her childe arrived, he found himself unwilling to sacrifice his peace and his soul by starting another armed conflict. So, instead, he began again to undermine his foes through subtle means. While Julia tried to use witchcraft to defeat him, Henry wooed her childe to their beliefs through the use of visions and the arguments of his priest. His plan would have succeeded had it not been for the arrival of Kyle Anderson. He has not despaired, however, instead resigning himself to waiting a little longer for peace while he works on this new foe, working to pit the witch against her new superior so that he might be rid of them both.
Henry comes across as a very solid, reliable man. He radiates the sort of iron will and unwavering resolve that plays into every stereotype of the small town western sheriff. Soft-spoken and given to quoting scripture, it is hard to dismiss him as crazy. In fact, the subtlty of his delusion is such that few who haven't known him for a long while even guess at it.
To put it simply, Henry sees the state of vampirism as a sort of purgatory, from which a sinner can redeem himself if he lives by God's law and deals with people peaceably and honorably. The full elaboration of his beliefs were only made possible by Father Pryce, who brought his extensive theological experience to the equation. Between the two of them, they've come up with an entire divine mechanism for their state and built extensive arguments to support it and sway others to it.
Henry is generally respectful and polite, even to those who are deliberately trying to enrage him, and thus keeps his opinions on most people to himself. He will confide them to Father Pryce, but few others are given the privilege. He respects the Father more than anyone else and, while he won't always defer to his judgement, will always heed his words. He is fond of Douglas Grier, whose salvation he's very proud of, but is wary of James, whose continued dabbling in witchcraft he is sure will damn his soul to Hell. While he doesn't make his displeasure known, he fully supports Father Pryce's efforts to disuade the man in his research.
One of the many Sabbat members who has gone through Shreveport while looking for enlightenment has been Dennis Miller, 'brother' to the current Prince. Henry is particularly fond of the crusader, though he disapproves of the violent path he has chosen, and has been advising him not to return to Shreveport to seek vengeance against his sire (despite how convenient this would be for him). He fully approves of his current mission, however, having long despaired at the Satanism that seems rampant in New Orleans.
Because of his distaste for the New Orleans Sabbat, he has always sought the support, instead, of Archbishop Siro de Sala in Dallas. He has also been very supportive of the Texas stronghold, using whatever peaceful means at his disposal to guard it against Camarilla subversion from the north. His lack of support for the New Orleans Lasombra has been something of an annoyance to them for a long while, but Delacroix has been unable to justify the resources it would require to undermine Black, or the resulting backlash from Dallas.
Henry is fully convinced that Julia Kirchner is a witch whose power stems from her pact with the Evil One. He has no pity for her, as he sees her as unrepentant and fully aware when she sold her soul for power. He's very proud that he was able to bring James over to the righteous path, even if he's, as yet, been unable to disuade him from practicing the Black Arts. As for Anderson, he hasn't had sufficient time to size up the man, or determine what will be necessary to drive him out. For the time being, he's been playing on the resentment Julia has for the new "Prince" and the fear Anderson has of Julia's magic to drive a wedge between them from afar.
Henry has put a lot of money and time into the city over the past hundred or so years, and thus has a great deal of connection with it and its structures. A rarely seen benefactor and contributor to civic needs, he is able to throw quite a bit of weight around when he needs to, though he rarely uses economic or political power to force a situation, preferring more subtle means. His reluctance to use the resources at hand has made them all the stronger, just as a man who asks few favors can justify much bigger ones.