When Emancipation happened, 7-year-old Alonzo, his mother, her parents and brother one of 25 slaves on the Herndon estate struck out on their own with nothing but the shoes on their feet. 587 University Pl NW, Atlanta, GA 30314 on the campus of Morris Brown College. After being emancipated, his family found a job in sharecropper in Social Circle, Georgia. He was one of 25 people enslaved by his father, who never acknowledged paternity of him. He was a member of W.E.B. The shop was a success, but Herndon was pulled to Atlanta and he struck gold there. One of the souths wealthiest men, he died on July 21, 1927. Associated With Facts about Alonzo Herndon 1: life span Herndon was born on 26 June 1858 in Walton County, Georgia. .last-btn #menu >li:last-child > a { 1858-1927 Alonzo Herndon parlayed success as a barber and as the owner of upscale barbershops into a business empire. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. 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. Herndon was born into slavery as Alonzo Franklin Herndon on June 26, 1858. In 1922 the company was reorganized as the Atlanta Life Insurance Company and achieved legal reserve status, a position enjoyed by only four other Black insurance companies at that time. letter-spacing:0.4px; In 1905 he became the founder and president of what he built to be one of the United States' most well-known and successful African-American businesses, the Atlanta Family Life Insurance Company (Atlanta Life). The family entered freedom in destitution. Born into slavery in Walton County on June 26, 1858, Alonzo Franklin Herndon grew up on a farm in Social Circle, forty miles east of Atlanta. li.mega-sub-item> ul.sub-menu >li >a:hover, li.mega-sub-item> ul.sub-menu >li >a:focus, There he opened his first barbershop. color:#5a5d5a; . Herndon received only a token amount of public schooling. Father of Larry Herndon; Roy V Herndon and Ora Herndon. Incorporated: 1967 background:#0e0e0e; "There was a growing market of White men in post-Emancipation Atlanta who were accustomed to service by Blacks," noted Merritt. The field hockey venue used during 1996 Summer Olympics located at Morris Brown College was named Herndon Stadium. Merritt, The Herndons: An Atlanta Family (Athens: University of Georgia One of Herndons most lasting contributions includes his role in establishing the United Negro College Fund. As his personal fortune grew, Herndon entered the field of insurance. 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. Why do you think this would have been one of the only ways African Americans were able to obtain wealth and upper-class status? Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. }h2,.two-grid-layout .post-content h2,.standard-layout .post-title h2{ color:#606060; Emancipated at seven years old in 1865, his family worked as sharecroppers in rural Georgia near Social Circle, some 45 miles east of Atlanta. font-size:14px; Famous for founding and heading the successful Atlanta Family Life Insurance Company, he is also remembered as the . Total Assets: $114.35 billion (1994) On his way to becoming Atlantas first black millionaire, Herndon amassed a fortune in real estate. He also supported commercial activities, including the Southview Cemetery Association and the Atlanta State Savings Bank. 2. At the time of his death Herndons real estate holdings were valued at nearly $325,000. American executive Alonzo Franklin Herndon (18581927) founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the leading insurers in the American South. Why do you think the Herndon home displayed windows of Alonzo's heritage? Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. His full name is Alonzo Franklin Herndon. Alonzo Franklin Herndon (June 26, 1858 - July 21, 1927) was an entrepreneur and businessman in Atlanta, Georgia. fbq('init', '213902435871547'); 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 even a delegate to the first conference of the National Negro Business League organized by Washington in 1890, and was involved in Du Bois's 1905 Niagara Movement, a conference held in Fort Erie, Ontario that eventually led to the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Clergyman, activist, author #main-menu-wrapper nav .mega .thunk-widget-menu a:hover,#menu .mega-menu-posts a:hover, The young Herndon was one of 25 slaves owned by his father, who Discuss the traits and describe how each one contributed to Herndons amazing success. Such burial associations were among the first types of thriving black business ventures after the Civil War, but a new Georgia law required all insurance companies to deposit $5,000 with the state as security against all claims. 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. The house's design was attributed to her in a published eulogy by AU president Ware who said, ". 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. )- (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. 23 Feb. 2023 . Famous for founding and heading the successful Atlanta Family Life Insurance Company, he is also remembered as the city of Atlanta's first African-American millionaire. His holdings eventually encompassed extensive real estate, and one of the nations largest black-owned businesses and most successful insurance companies, Atlanta Life. Herndon set out to make the Atlanta Benevolent and Protective Association into a leading provider of life insurance for African Americans in the South. His mother was Sophenie, an enslaved woman. Like so many newly emancipated African Americans, the Herndons engaged in sharecroppinga system that kept them only a short step from slavery for many more years. 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. His father was his mother's White owner, so he was kept on the man's farm. United States, From Rags to Riches: The Story of Alonzo Herndon, Copyright 2023, Georgia Public Broadcasting. 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In 1905, he purchased a small mutual aid association that eventually became the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. Learn more about the foundation. Herndon died in Atlanta on July 21, 1927, a few weeks after his sixty-ninth birthday. The son of an enslaved African-American named Sophenie and a white plantation owner named Frank Herndon, he was freed from slavery at the age of seven. They were homeless and living in poverty. @media screen and (max-width: 1024px){ His son was more reluctant to follow in his footsteps, however, for Norris Herndon had inherited Adrienne's passion for the stage. Norris Herndon eventually established the Herndon Foundation, which became the new majority stockholder of Atlanta Life and a major donor to the city's cultural institutions. Your support helps us commission new entries and update existing content. 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. In 1905 he purchased a failing mutual aid association, which he incorporated as the Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association. Herndon also invested in real estate, and then entered the insurance business. She hired herself out by the day and as there was money in the country, she received as pay potatoes, molasses, and peas enough to keep us from starving.". By the time of his death in 1927, Herndon was Atlanta, Georgias wealthiest African American and one of the first black millionaires in the United States. His mother took him, his five-year-old brother, and a few quilts with her, and found work nearby as a day laborer. Before long, he took up barbering and mens grooming, which afforded freed blacks a level of eliteness in a white world. Box 1615 .slider-wrapper .flex-slider .fs-caption-overlay{ Looking to make his fortune in a place that offered better opportunities for blacks, Herndon relocated to Rome, Georgia, and then Chattanooga, Tennessee, but at one point was so discouraged by his business setbacks that he thought about quitting altogether and taking in a job a plow factory. A noted philanthropist, Herndon used his considerable wealth to support schools and church organizations in and around and Atlanta. Facts about Alonzo Herndon 2: fame As I have stated before, he was famous after establishing the Atlanta Life Insurance. Take a virtual tour of Georgia's museums and galleries, Fashion and politics from Georgia-born designer Frankie Welch. Holla:CJ@AtlantaFi.com. In 1878, at the age of 20, Herndon left his family and moved to Jonesboro, Georgia where he openedhis first barbershop. What Is The Herndon Foundation? ALONZO HERNDON WAS CONSIDERED THE FIRST BLACK ENTREPRENEUR OF ATLANTA IN THE 1800s Hide chat MLK: The Other America The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change Heartland. An extended European honeymoon was partly spent gathering furnishings to refit his Crystal Palace. McNeil had studied dramatic arts in Boston and New York, receiving the Belasco Gold Medal for excellence in expression in 1908. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); List choice It also produced his only child, Norris, who succeeded him as chief executive of Atlanta Life Insurance Company. .flex-slider li .caption-content a{color:#fff;} The firm grew rapidly in the 1920s, expanding its operations into a half dozen new states, including Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas. color:#fff;} His child Norris B. Herndon eventually took over Atlanta Life, expanding the company's reach and increasing its profits. 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. if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; 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. Company He was succeeded as head of his financial empire by his second wife, Jessie Gillespie, then later by his son Norris. 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. 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 . Subscribe to ournews alerts here, follow uson Twitterand like us onFacebook. With the Southern economy wrecked, she was forced to accept payment in molasses, potatoes, or other provisions in order to feed her sons. The family learned to feed themselves by sharecropping, which is whereHerndon began to appreciate the acumen of operating good business when dealing with people, a quality that would come to serve him greatly later in life. Emancipated at the end of the Civil War (1861-65), he was sent away from his birthplace by his father. Fittingly, Herndon had asked that his pallbearers be drawn from among his barber staff. 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. The Crystal Palace became an instant landmark, drawing customers and tourists from across the south and beyond. As proprietor, Herndon personally saw to the barbering services provided to some of the most important figures in the state, earning their acquaintance and good will. Lets explore some facts about Herndon and the impact he made, including one of the last physical monuments that symbolize his success, the Herndon House. Herndon employed an acquisition strategy where he bought out failing insurance businesses and merged them with his company. 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. } In 1910, the house was built. Herndon trained as a barber, and had his first small shop in Jonesboro. The magnificent Beaux Arts mansion Herndon built for his first wife between 1905 and 1910 became an Atlanta landmark and tourist attraction. Alonzo Herndon made his fortune as an entrepreneur--someone who created and ran his own business. background:#494bbc; FUN FACTS. 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. } Telephone: (908) 903-2000 Herndon was most involved on the local level. .footer-wrapper h4{ His son, Norris B. Herndon, became notable in his own right, expanding the insurance company into an empire.[6]. currency: 'USD', abides by its mission to advance the Herndon legacy through education, mentoring, and preparing the next generation of entrepreneurs. By Lestey Gist, The Gist of Freedom An African-American barber and entrepreneur, Alonzo Herndon was the founder and president of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the most successful black-owned insurance businesses in the nation. [5] It had been closely associated with supporting Clark University and other AMA schools. Atlanta Family Life Insurance Company (Atlanta Life), "Alonzo Herndon, pioneering businessman | African American Registry", Who left what behind: wills of famous blacks; while some left millions, others left nothing but legal problems |, The New Georgia Encyclopedia; Alonzo Herndon, National Park Service--Register of Historic Places; Herndon Home, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alonzo_Herndon&oldid=1114544299, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 7 October 2022, at 01:36. And had his first small shop in Jonesboro he struck gold there was a,! And found work nearby as a day laborer thought I was being telegraphed, '' he recalled, to. Roy V Herndon and Ora Herndon out to make the Atlanta Life University Pl NW, Life. Died on July 21 5 facts about alonzo herndon 1927, a few quilts with her, had. 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