Born into slavery, he became one of the first African American millionaires in the United States, first achieving success by owning and operating three large barber shops in the city that served prominent white men. Another structure on Morris Browns campus is. In 1922 the company had achieved legal reserve status, a position enjoyed by only four other Black insurance companies at that time. 23 Feb. 2023 . .flex-slider.button-three .read-more.read-more-slider a:hover{ Herndon didnt stop there; he continued to buy companies throughout the South, gobbling them until Atlanta Life became the largest insurance company owned and operated by African American in the nation. His home was included in National Historic Landmark in United States in 2000. .navigation .menu > li > a:hover,.navigation ul li a:hover,header #main-menu-wrapper .menu-item-has-children > a:hover:after,.navigation ul ul.sub-menu a:hover,.smaller .navigation ul li a:hover, .home .smaller .navigation .menu > li > a:hover,.navigation ul .current-menu-item > a, It also produced his only child, Norris, who succeeded him as chief executive of Atlanta Life Insurance Company. Nia Long Sparks Consent Debate Over 30-Year-Old Boyfriend As A Teen, INTERVIEW: Pastor Deitrick Haddon Responds To Christian Outrage Aimed At Beyonc And 'Satanic' GRAMMYs, Twitter Clowns Lori Harvey & Damson Idris Red Carpet Debut, Black Love: 12 Sexy Black Celebrity Couples, Amanda Seales Show 'LL Cool J Better Call Maury' | EPISODE 56, Black Driver Shot By Police While Sleeping In Grandmas Driveway, Bodycam Video Shows, Ben Stein Misses Aunt Jemima, The Large African American Woman Making Pancakes, Twitters Outraged, Will Smith Is Finally Making Jokes About Slapping Chris Rock, Twitter Salutes. In 1920, the Atlanta Life building, built at 148 Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, came to symbolize the very best of black Atlanta as well as black excellence in the United States. 8. Henderson, Alexa. DuBois-led Niagara Movement. Called "The Crystal Palace," it was a lavishly appointed barbershop, with chandeliers and marble floors, and served Atlanta's judges, politicians, and business elite. border-bottom: 1px solid #f4c85e; His holdings eventually encompassed extensive real estate, and one of the nations largest black-owned businesses and most successful insurance companies, Atlanta Life. The publicity materials for the event claimed she was from an old French and Creole family in South Carolina, mentioning nothing about her race, and though she earned good reviews for a recital of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, no other roles came her way. color:#f4c85e; {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? Fax: (908) 580-3402 line-height:22px; Civil Rights Movement Mid- to Late 20th Century Topics . value: 100, #main-menu-wrapper nav .mega .thunk-widget-menu a:hover,#menu .mega-menu-posts a:hover, In 1893, he was married to Adrienne Elizabeth McNeil, an Atlanta University drama instructor, scion of one of the citys most important black families and widely regarded as a great beauty. The family entered freedom in destitution. On his way to becoming Atlantas first black millionaire, Herndon amassed a fortune in real estate. margin: ; . Telephone: (908) 903-2000 color:#606060; Herndons mother, Sophenie, was a black slave; his father, Frank Herndon, was a white slave owner. He had been approached by a couple of ministers in the community to acquire the company as something for the black community. Alonzo Herndon began construction on the house in 1905 and it was substantially complete when Adrienne Herndon died after a brief illness in 1910. Alonzo Herndon has been a part of the Entrepreneur list. .magazine-single-box .header-style-one .header #main-menu-wrapper{ What Is The Herndon Foundation? } His son was more reluctant to follow in his footsteps, however, for Norris Herndon had inherited Adrienne's passion for the stage. } In 1905 he purchased a failing mutual aid association, which he incorporated as the Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association. That same year, he re-opened for business at an address of 66 Peachtree Street that would become his flagship enterprise for the next several decades. } Discuss the traits and describe how each one contributed to Herndons amazing success. Alonzo Herndon. )- (Los Bros Hernandez, a collective pseudonym), Herndon, Nancy 1934- (Elizabeth Chadwick, Nancy Fairbanks), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/herndon-alonzo-franklin, The Mixed Legacy of the Reconstruction Era. Let me show you the interesting Facts about Alonzo Herndon if you want to know the founding father of the Atlanta Family Life Insurance Company. He began by buying a failing mutual aid association in 1905, when the state of Georgia increased capital requirements for such businesses. He was a founding member of Booker T. Washington's National Negro Business League in 1900. She still harbored dreams of a career in acting, however, and had agreed to marry Herndon only if he promised to let her pursue it. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Ryan Cameron Opens Dough Boy Pizza In Atlanta, Six Flags Over Georgia: Everything You Need To Know Before You Go, ATL Entrepreneur Has A Juicee Way To Distribute Beauty Products, Atlanta Safari Park Opening In March 2023, Ultimate Atlanta Festival Guide 2023: Events & Fun Things To Do, Best Things To Do In Atlanta This Weekend: March 3-5, Atlanta Brunch Festival 2023: Info, Dates, Schedule, Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival 2023: Dates, Time, Info, Heres The List Of Movies Being Filmed In Atlanta, Georgia Right Now, Inman Park Festival and Tour of Homes 2023: Dates, Time, Info, Here Are The Best Things To Do In Buckhead, Best Things To Do In Atlanta On A Wednesday. color:#f4c85e; ::-moz-selection{ Though Herndons successful businesses and investments made him a wealthy man, they did not protect him from the negative effects of racism. Eventually he established Atlanta Life, an insurance company. Atlanta Life's business thrived, and they expanded their business into Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas. Opened in 1902, it was fitted with opulent furnishings, 25 luxury hair-cutting stations, and several private rooms with bathtubs and showers. At a very young age he worked as a laborer and peddler, helping his family to eke out a living in the harsh rural area. background:#111; Why do you think this would have been one of the only ways African Americans were able to obtain wealth and upper-class status? There is no need to wonder that this self made man became the first black millionaire from Atlanta. 2. After a few months Herndon migrated to the town of Jonesboro, in Clayton County. In 1905 he used his proceeds to purchase a failing insurance business in the city, naming it the Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association. "No story, no tragedy, no epic poem will be read with greater wonder or followed by mankind with deeper feeling than that which tells the story of his life and death," Lee said, according to Merritt's book. Herndon was born on June 26, 1858 in Walton County, Georgia to Frank Herndon, a white farmer, and Sophenie, his slave. 260 14th St. NW .magazine-box header.header-style-one #main-menu-wrapper, Alonzo Herndon, a former slave born in 1858 in Social Circle, sought to better himself and ultimately became Atlanta's first African-American millionaire. With Herndon playing a pivotal role as president and chief stockholder, the small association expanded its assets from $5,000 in 1905 to more than $400,000 by 1922. his personal fortune grew, Herndon entered the field of insurance. } Later, Herndon opened up his first barbershop in Jonesboro, Georgia. Those barbershops had elite customers such as presidents, judges, business men, and lawyers. Herndon was featured in The Crisis Magazine's Men of the Month in March 1921. Within six months, Herndon became a sought-after talent in his new trade. "I knew my mother would never consent to my leaving the farm, so I took my little hand trunk on my shoulder and stole silently away in the darkness of night," he wrote in a memoir, according to Carole Merritt's The Herndons: An Atlanta Family. Include how this persons life has affected your life. background:#f4c85e; He stopped initially in the community of Senoia (in present-day Coweta County), where he worked as a farmhand and began learning the barbering trade. /*margin-digbar*/ His funeral was an extraordinary event in the city, and Atlanta Life's Memphis chief, George W. Lee, was one of a lengthy list of eulogists who paid tribute to the company founder. Alonzo was a great inspiration for those who want to achieve great business. background:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.18);} }@media screen and (max-width: 768px){body,p{ 1858-1927 Alonzo Herndon parlayed success as a barber and as the owner of upscale barbershops into a business empire. Overcoming poverty and illiteracy, he had risen in his lifetime from slavery to become the wealthy head of a leading Black business that has survived into the twenty-first century and is consistently listed among the top Black financial companies as ranked by Black Enterprise magazine. Despite several crises in the industry and lean times generally, Atlanta Life under Herndons leadership survived and progressed into the next decades as a secure and prosperous business. Herndon soon opened his first business, a barbershop, in Jonesboro. Luckily, Herndon had already gone home for the day. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Web site: http://www.chubb.com He was a founding member of Booker T. Washingtons National Negro Business League in 1900. AboutPressCopyrightContact. His insurance company was very successful since it was operated in some states in US such as Texas, Kansas, Florida, Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky. An. Born into slavery in 1858, in Walton County, Georgia; Alonzo was the son of Sophenie, an enslaved woman, and a white father, likely her enslaver, Frank Herndon, who was from a wealthy slaveholding family. Alonzo Herndon, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, died in Atlanta on July 21, 1927 at the age of 69. He was a member of W.E.B. On his way to becoming Atlanta's first black millionaire, Herndon amassed a fortune in real estate. Alonzo F. Herndon is regarded by most historical accounts as Atlantas first Black millionaire, and certainly one of the wealthiest in the early 20th Century. Five years later he was one of the original members of the W.E.B. They had one son together, Norris B. Herndon. Father of Larry Herndon; Roy V Herndon and Ora Herndon. He opened his own barbershop in Atlanta in 1886. }} A 1916 reorganization made Herndon's company a shareholder-owned one, but he held the majority of stock. Holla:CJ@AtlantaFi.com. His father was his mother's White owner, so he was kept on the man's farm. June 26 Horoscope. Herndon also invested in real estate, and then entered the insurance business. African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927, https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/atlanta/her.htm, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. The family worked chiefly as sharecroppers on plantations in Social Circle, Georgia, 40 miles east of Atlanta. } .flex-slider li .caption-content p{color:#fff;} BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 15 Rare Black History Facts Youve Never Heard. }. The Herndon Home is a historic house museum and National Historic Landmark at 587 University Place NW, in Atlanta, Georgia.An elegant Classical Revival mansion with Beaux Arts influences, it was the home of Alonzo Franklin Herndon (1858-1927), a rags-to-riches success story who was born into slavery, but went on to become Atlanta's first black millionaire as founder and head of the Atlanta . One of the souths wealthiest men, he died on July 21, 1927. Alonzo Herndon made his fortune as an entrepreneur--someone who created and ran his own business. All Rights Reserved. then he bought a plantation near tavares florida. Having recently come out of slavery, many African Americans lacked formal education and access to higher education. In 1858, Alonzo Franklin Herndon was born into slavery in Walton County. Alonzo Franklin Herndon (June 26, 1858 - July 21, 1927) was an entrepreneur and businessman in Atlanta, Georgia. Alonzo Herndon, a former slave born in 1858 in Social Circle, sought to better himself and ultimately became Atlanta's first African-American millionaire. Explain the roles of Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. DuBois, and Alonzo Herndon in advancement of the rights of African Americans or Blacks in the New South Era. He was born on 9th July 1819 and, Facts about Bernie Mac tell you about the notable American actor, stand-up comedian and voice artist. Herndon also sought to save other failing Black enterprises. Mrs. Herndon and her stepson worked together in leading Atlanta Life to even greater success. In 1915, he ventured into Alabama, and the acquired another Georgia insurance company, Union Mutual, the largest black-owned insurer in the state. line-height:48px; As his personal fortune grew, Herndon entered the field of insurance. Alonzo Herndon was active in a variety of economic and political causes. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Herndon and the prominent writer and abolitionist Frederick Douglass both spent their early years in slavery. It is one of a few structures associated with Herndon in Atlanta and the success he brought to the city. 1927 ) was an entrepreneur and businessman in Atlanta in 1886. } used proceeds! Discuss the traits and describe how each one contributed to Herndons amazing success worked as... ; { if ( f.fbq ) return ; n=f.fbq=function ( ) { n.callMethod his new trade entered! With bathtubs and showers and her stepson worked together in leading Atlanta to... 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