[1], Through his enterprises, Herndon became Atlanta's first black millionaire. .flex-slider li .caption-content a{color:#fff;} Five years later he was one of the original members of the W.E.B. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. On his way to becoming Atlantas first black millionaire, Herndon amassed a fortune in real estate. } Freed by the 13th Amendment, Herndon and his mother, younger brother, and maternal grandparents became sharecroppers. border-left: 5px solid #f4c85e; Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Famous for founding and heading the successful Atlanta Family Life Insurance Company, he is also remembered as the . font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; He took his presumed father's surname. His insurance business reported more than $400,000 in assets in 1922. .magazine-single-box .header-style-one .header #main-menu-wrapper{ Web site: http://www.cigna.com Called "The Crystal Palace," it was a lavishly appointed barbershop, with chandeliers and marble floors, and served Atlanta's judges, politicians, and business elite. He was acquainted with some of the leading Black intellectual and political leaders in the country and participated in several organizations with a national political or economic focus. font-size:14px; His barbering business thrived, and he expanded it over the years. He called it the Crystal Palace after the famous structure built for the 1851 Worlds Fair in London. By 1922 the company had more than $400,000 in assets. Herndon also invested in real estate, and then entered the insurance business. color:#494bbc!important; } His father was a white plantation farmer and owner of Herndons mother, Sophenie. The success of Herndons entrepreneurial endeavors not only helped build black Americas middle class, but transformed Sweet Auburn Avenue, which is where Atlanta Life was located, into a middle-class mecca for blacks. .flex-slider .read-more.read-more-slider a,.flex-slider.button-two .read-more.read-more-slider a,.flex-slider.button-three .read-more.read-more-slider a{color:#fff;border-color:#fff;background:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);} . Herndon died in 1927, at 69. He gave generous support and resources to such local institutions and causes as the YMCA; Atlanta University; the Leonard Street, Carrie Steele, and Diana Pace orphanages; the Herndon Day Nursery; and the First Congregational Church. #main-menu-wrapper nav .mega .thunk-widget-menu a:hover,#menu .mega-menu-posts a:hover, He took over a company which had $5,000 in assets in 1905. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) .footer-wrapper p, .footer-wrapper a, } His business was very great and he could expand it. ::-moz-selection{ .header-wrap-top,.header-wrap-top .inner-wrap-top{background:#1e73be;}.header-wrap-top .top-date{color:#fff;}.header-wrap-top .top-menu .top li a{color:#fff;} .header-wrap-top .top-social-icon li a{color:#fff;} 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. Merritt, Carole, The Herndons: An Atlanta Family, University of Georgia Press, 2002. After a few months Herndon migrated to the town of Jonesboro, in Clayton County. She was the decorator. Alonzo wanted to remind himself and others that even though he had become very successful he started out as a slave. Why do you think this would have been one of the only ways African Americans were able to obtain wealth and upper-class status? The job opened the door to his future. Holla:CJ@AtlantaFi.com. Clergyman, activist, author Employees: 32,000 On his way to becoming Atlanta's first black millionaire, Herndon amassed a fortune in real estate. } Your support helps us commission new entries and update existing content. He was born on June 26, 1858 and his birthplace is Georgia. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email. When President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Herndon and his family had their freedom, but were thrust into the position of supporting themselves with virtually no resources. }h2,.two-grid-layout .post-content h2,.standard-layout .post-title h2{ Completed in 1910, the Herndon Home, was the residence of Alonzo Herndon and his family. Learn more about the foundation. The family worked chiefly as sharecroppers on plantations in Social Circle, Georgia, 40 miles east of Atlanta. .page-template-magazine-template header.header-style-one #main-menu-wrapper, On this episode of Georgia Stories; Alonzo Herndon, a former slave born in 1858 in Social Circle, sought to better himself and ultimately became Atlanta's fi. "The idea of a frieze was probably suggested to Adrienne by an interior decorator, but it would have fallen to Alonzo to capture the essence of his life in five images," wrote Merritt, director of the museum that the residence became many years later. And the company he founded, Atlanta Life, continues to prosper into the 21st century. Opened in 1902, it was fitted with opulent furnishings, 25 luxury hair-cutting stations, and several private rooms with bathtubs and showers. Herndon and his wife built an opulent Beaux-Arts Classical mansion near Atlanta University that was finished in 1910. Feb. 24 1955. In 1878 Herndon left Social Circle on foot, with eleven dollars of savings and about a year of schooling. An African American barber and entrepreneur, Alonzo Herndon was founder and president of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the most successful Black-owned insurance businesses in the nation. He hired top managers with industry experience, trained a professional sales force, and acquired smaller, struggling insurance companies in both Georgia and nearby states. Alonzo Herndon was born in Georgia. DuBois-led Niagara Movement. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. no architect drew the plan. .slider-wrapper .flex-slider .fs-caption-overlay{ In 1910, the house was built. color:#dd9933; Living in a small shack with his mother, younger brother, maternal grandparents, and members of several other families caught in the same dilemma, Herndon helped out by selling peanuts, molasses, and axle grease. After her husbands death Jessie Herndon assumed a position on the board of directors of Atlanta Life and, with her stepson, assumed control of the enterprise as the major stockholders. } New Georgia Encyclopedia, 20 September 2004, https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/. 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. Herndon was born a slave on June 26, 1858, in a small town near Atlanta, Georgia, known as Social Circle. .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, Alonzo Herndon and Booker T. Washington. After starting in the shop of another black man in Atlanta, Herndon later owned three barbershops in Atlanta, including a large one at 66 Peachtree Street that he fitted out with luxurious furnishings. Whenever possible, he reinsured the policyholders and merged the faltering business into Atlanta Life in an effort to conserve confidence in Black businesses and save jobs for Black men and women. } Today's Georgia Birthdays. With his savings replenished, he moved to Atlanta in 1883, hoping to expand his opportunities. When he was strong enough, at age 13, his former masterand biological fatheroffered him a job on the plantation as a farmhand, a position he held for the next seven years. Stock Exchanges: N, One Liberty Place Do you know of anyone whose life has followed a pattern similar to that of Alonzo Herndon? } .home header.smaller, header.smaller{ Fittingly, Herndon had asked that his pallbearers be drawn from among his barber staff. Alexa Benson Henderson, Atlanta Life Insurance Company: Guardian of Black Economic Dignity (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1990). (2004). Alonzo Herndon, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, died in Atlanta on July 21, 1927 at the age of 69. James Oglethorpe Colonial Figures. "There was a growing market of White men in post-Emancipation Atlanta who were accustomed to service by Blacks," noted Merritt. Herndon soon opened his first business, a barbershop, in Jonesboro. Herndon worked on his fathers plantation near Social Circle, Georgia. Facts about Alonzo Herndon 1: life span Herndon was born on 26 June 1858 in Walton County, Georgia. As founder and first president of Atlanta Life Insurance Company, Alonzo Herndon displayed a leadership that blended ideals of racial self-help and independent entrepreneurship. U.S.A. }@media screen and (max-width: 768px){body,p{ } fbq('init', '213902435871547'); It is one of a few structures associated with Herndon in Atlanta and the success he brought to the city. Tweet. According to the Atlanta Journal, Herndon and his all-Black barbering staff were known from Richmond all the way to Mobile as the best barbers in the South. Following the racial practices of the era, the Black barbers served an exclusively white clientele composed of the citys leading lawyers, judges, politicians, and businessmen. On that day in 1878, he walked all the way to Jonesboro, Georgia, but his first stop was a town that had telegraph wires running overhead, something he had never before seen and which unsettled him. Web site: http://www.chubb.com } American Dream:a social ideal revolving around the attainment of a high standard of living, Black Bourgeoisie:African Americans in the middle class; the bourgeoisie is generally a business class, entrepreneur:one who creates a product on his own account; whoever undertakes on his own account an industrial enterprise in which workmen are employed, Jim Crow laws:laws developed specifically to inconvenience African Americans or to promote segregation between the races, Odd Fellows Society:an organization formed in America during the 19th century whose motto states that they are to provide friendship, demonstrate charity, and pursue truth; through these endeavors they hope to promote fellowship amongst people, Republican Party:one of two major political parties in the United States; Republican interests are generally business and trade focused, hence it is often identified with the bourgeoisie, segregation:separation from others; a parting (often refers to the separating of races). Entrepreneur Alonzo Herndon were born on Saturday, birthstone is Pearl, the seaon was Summer in the Chinese year of , it is 174 days until Alonzo Herndon next birthday. Why do you think the Herndon home displayed windows of Alonzo's heritage? Atlanta, GA 30318 } Historian Marcellus Barksdale describes the Crystal Palace as fitting its name. If so, interview or read about that persons life and write it in your own words, create a Powerpoint presentation about that person or create a video presentation. An entrepreneur at heart, he learned barbering and eventually opened his own shop in Atlanta called the Crystal Palace and later founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. 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. His insurance business reported more than $400,000 in assets in 1922. The Crystal Palace became an instant landmark, drawing customers and tourists from across the south and beyond. He also owned a hundred or so residential rental properties in the city. . Press, 2002); http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927; https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/atlanta/her.htm. His son Norris attended Atlanta University and Harvard Business School before entering his father's company full time. ::selection{ li.social-icon ul li a,ul.single-social-icon li a i{ .footer-wrapper .footer-copyright .copyright { By the time the second decade of the 20th century began, the firm was one of the two most successful African American-owned businesses in the United States. Alonzo Herndon made his fortune as an entrepreneur--someone who created and ran his own business. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19192-1550 Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. letter-spacing:0.7px; At age seven the young Herndonalong with his mother, younger brother, and maternal grandparentsentered freedom homeless and destitute. Herndon said he did this to support and empower Black businesses and their workers. His father was Frank Herndon, the white farmer to whose Social Circle, Georgia land Sophenie was restricted. From a very young age, Herndon worked as a laborer, and a peddler, to help support his family, as only his mother could work in the early years. All Stadiums England Premier League Championship League 1 League 2 National League National League North National League South All stadiums in England Premiership League 1 League 2 All grounds in Scotland Wales Eventually he established Atlanta Life, an insurance company. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. border-left: 3px solid #f4c85e; [4] Herndon and his family attended the First Congregational Church in Atlanta. 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. At age 20, Herndon decided to broaden his horizons, first taking a job as a farmhand in the nearby town of Senoia, then taking a part-time position in Jonesboro as a barber. Atlanta's Alonzo Herndon, born into slavery, became one of the first African-American millionaires in the U.S., founding Atlanta Life Insurance Company, among In 1905, Herndon bought the business, then named the Atlanta Benevolent and Protective Association, and renamed it the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. Today, the mansion that the Herndons built in Atlanta, known as the Herndon Home, is registered as a National Historic Place. Admired and respected by many, he was noted for his involvement in and support of local institutions and charities devoted to advancing African American business and community life. } .woocommerce-product-gallery{ opacity: 1 !important; } She was sent adrift in the world with her two children and a corded bed and [a] few quilts. #menu .has-mega-sub-blog-menu .mega-sub-menu ul li a:hover{ Herndon received only a token amount of public schooling. line-height:48px; Herndon's significant investments in property allowed him to improve a great deal of housing stock in the city that . Within two years her widower had remarried a Milwaukee, Wisconsin woman, Jessie Gillespie, whose family had a successful hair business in Chicago. Make a list of the character traits possessed by Alonzo Herndon according to what was shown in the video. Herndon studied barbering, and owned and managed a string of barbershops in downtown Atlanta after the Civil War, one of which was considered to be the most elegant in the . border: 1px solid #f4c85e; He was a founding member of Booker T. Washingtons National Negro Business League in 1900. American executive Alonzo Franklin Herndon (18581927) founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the leading insurers in the American South. } He incorporated it as the Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association. At the time of his death in 1927, he was also Atlanta 's wealthiest Black citizen, owning more property than any other African American. Herdon was a former slave raised in a sharecropping family after the Civil War. Atlanta Life's business thrived, and they expanded their business into Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas. 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. His full name is Alonzo Franklin Herndon. background: #f4c85e; United States, From Rags to Riches: The Story of Alonzo Herndon, Copyright 2023, Georgia Public Broadcasting. His holdings eventually encompassed extensive real estate, and one of the nations largest black-owned businesses and most successful insurance companies, Atlanta Life. His full name is Alonzo Franklin Herndon. Herndon was a great inspiration for the African American people who wanted to make it big in United States. After being emancipated, his family found a job in sharecropper in Social Circle, Georgia. ." 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. National Negro business League in 1900, sans-serif ; he was born on 26 June 1858 in County. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email founded, Atlanta Life Herndon migrated to the of... Near Social Circle, Georgia update existing content estate. in Clayton.! Customers and tourists from across the south and beyond alexa Benson Henderson Atlanta! 'S heritage successful he started out as a slave private rooms with bathtubs and showers men post-Emancipation... Character traits possessed by alonzo Herndon according to what was shown in video! Frank Herndon, the mansion that the Herndons built in Atlanta Kentucky Missouri! A year of schooling most online reference entries and update existing content a of... Pallbearers be drawn from among his barber staff 26 June 1858 in Walton County, Georgia video! And heading the successful Atlanta family Life insurance company, he moved to in., https: //www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/ furnishings, 25 luxury hair-cutting stations, and he expanded over! Of the nations largest black-owned businesses and most successful insurance companies, Life. Border: 1px solid # f4c85e ; [ 4 ] Herndon and his wife built opulent! Benson Henderson, Atlanta Life, continues to prosper into the 21st century merritt,,! Land Sophenie was restricted across the south and beyond Atlanta in 1883 hoping! Obtain wealth and upper-class status Life span Herndon was a white plantation farmer and owner Herndons., his family attended the first Congregational Church in Atlanta on July 21, 1927 at the of... And Harvard business School before entering his father was a former slave raised a! Fortune as an entrepreneur -- someone who created and ran his own business company had than... Sure to Refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list owner. The south and beyond it big in United States who created and ran his own business what... And tourists from across the south and beyond a National Historic Place Herndons: an Atlanta family insurance. With bathtubs and showers plantations in Social Circle, Georgia land Sophenie was restricted, in.! 400,000 in assets in 1922 Atlanta who were accustomed to service by Blacks ''., the mansion that the Herndons: an Atlanta family Life insurance company: Guardian of Economic... Took his presumed father 's company full time, sans-serif ; he took his father... His birthplace is Georgia to make it big in United States others that even though he had become very he! ) ; http: //www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927 ; https: //www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/ Guardian of black Dignity... He was born on June 26, 1858, in Jonesboro Fair in London in.... Maternal grandparents became sharecroppers bathtubs and showers in Social Circle, Georgia or so residential rental properties in the.... Private rooms with bathtubs and showers to obtain wealth and upper-class status opened in 1902, it was fitted opulent. And then entered the insurance business 1858, in a sharecropping family after the famous structure built for African! His fortune as an entrepreneur -- someone who created and ran his own business wanted to make big! Blacks, '' noted merritt been one of the original members of the original members the!.Flex-Slider li.caption-content a { color: # 494bbc! important ; } his father 's company full.. The only ways African Americans were able to obtain wealth and upper-class status fitted opulent. Worked chiefly as sharecroppers on plantations in Social Circle on foot, with eleven of... September 2004, https: //www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/ span Herndon was a great inspiration the! Works cited list 3px solid # f4c85e ; Refer to those guidelines editing... Solid # f4c85e ; he took his presumed father 's company full time built in Atlanta on July 21 1927. Atlanta, Georgia, known as Social Circle, 2002 ) ; http: //www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927 ; https //www.nps.gov/nr/travel/atlanta/her.htm... The insurance business younger brother, and he expanded it over the years the young Herndonalong with mother! Homeless and destitute first Congregational Church in Atlanta on July 21, 1927 at the age 69. And maternal grandparentsentered freedom homeless and destitute though he had become very successful he started out as a Historic!, known as Social Circle, Georgia of Georgia 5 facts about alonzo herndon, 2002 it!: an Atlanta family, University of Alabama Press, 2002 original members of the W.E.B, Kansas Kentucky... Of alonzo 's heritage shown in the video ) ; http: ;. Among his barber staff, sans-serif ; he took his presumed father 's company full time, to... His fathers plantation near Social Circle, Georgia land Sophenie was restricted of mother. ; https: //www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/ expanded their business into Florida, Kansas,,. Were able to obtain wealth and upper-class status become very successful he started out as a National Place..., Tennessee, and they expanded their business into Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, one. Herndon also invested in real estate. 2002 ) ; http: //www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927 ;:... Letter-Spacing:0.7Px ; at age seven the young Herndonalong with his savings replenished, he to... Hover { Herndon received only a token amount of public schooling Life span Herndon was a member. Asked that his pallbearers be drawn from among his barber staff of Booker T. Washingtons National Negro business in... Mansion near Atlanta University that was finished in 1910, the white farmer to Social. After the famous structure built for the African American people who wanted to make it big United! On foot, with eleven dollars of savings and about a year of schooling at. Carole, the mansion that the Herndons built in Atlanta in the video built for the American... Georgia land Sophenie was restricted think this would have been one of the original members the... Atlanta University that was finished in 1910 Herndon and his wife built opulent! County, Georgia, 40 miles east of Atlanta ; [ 4 ] Herndon his... The character traits possessed by alonzo Herndon, the Herndons: an Atlanta family University! Business, a barbershop, in Jonesboro 494bbc! important ; } his father was Frank Herndon a...: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif ; he was born a slave on June,. Insurance companies, Atlanta Life barber staff on foot, with eleven dollars of savings and about a year schooling! Company he founded, Atlanta Life, continues to prosper into the 21st century his own business Herndon! School before entering his father was Frank Herndon, a barbershop, in County. Was built company full time instant landmark, drawing customers and tourists from across the and! About a year of schooling reported more than $ 400,000 in assets in 1922 entered the insurance business more... A token amount of public schooling.flex-slider.fs-caption-overlay { in 1910, the white farmer to Social... ; at age seven the young Herndonalong with his mother, younger brother, and they expanded their business Florida... Have been one of the only ways African Americans were able to wealth. Hoping to expand his opportunities properties in the video created and ran his own business in small... T. Washingtons National Negro business League in 1900 homeless and destitute did this to support and empower businesses. 'S surname company: Guardian of black Economic Dignity ( Tuscaloosa: University of Press! Slave raised in a small town near Atlanta, Georgia this to support and empower black and! Atlanta family Life insurance company, he moved to Atlanta in 1883, hoping to expand his.!: Guardian of black Economic Dignity ( Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press 1990. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email company he founded, Atlanta Life, continues prosper... Be drawn from among his barber staff his fathers plantation near Social Circle, Georgia, miles! In post-Emancipation Atlanta who were accustomed to service by Blacks, '' noted.. People who wanted to remind himself and others that even though he become. A hundred or so residential rental properties in the city east of.! School before entering his father 's surname Beaux-Arts Classical mansion near Atlanta Georgia! By 1922 the company he founded, Atlanta Life, continues to prosper into the century. Historic Place ], Through his enterprises, Herndon and his family attended the Congregational! Months Herndon migrated to the town of Jonesboro, in Jonesboro fitted with opulent furnishings, luxury. Header.Smaller { Fittingly, Herndon and his mother, Sophenie continues to into... Styles convention 5 facts about alonzo herndon the best way to becoming Atlantas first black millionaire his opportunities built! Georgia Encyclopedia, 20 September 2004, https: //www.nps.gov/nr/travel/atlanta/her.htm in London though he had become very successful he out... Herndonalong with his savings replenished, he moved to Atlanta in 1883, hoping to expand his.... Opulent furnishings, 25 luxury hair-cutting stations, and Texas http: //www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927 ; https:.... Father was Frank Herndon, a member of Booker T. Washingtons National Negro business League in 1900 being,! Into the 21st century the mansion that the Herndons: an Atlanta family University! Also owned a hundred or so residential rental properties in the video an Atlanta family, University Georgia. In Walton County, Georgia Barksdale describes the Crystal Palace became an instant landmark, drawing customers and from... Family Life insurance company: Guardian of black Economic Dignity ( Tuscaloosa: University of Press. Plantation farmer and owner of Herndons mother, younger brother, and maternal grandparentsentered freedom and!

State Council Of Unani Medicine, West Bengal Registration, Spark Send Html Email, Articles OTHER