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. Atlanta Life's business thrived, and they expanded their business into Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas. 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. Jan. 03 1992. B. Herndon trained as a barber, and had his first small shop in Jonesboro. [5] It had been closely associated with supporting Clark University and other AMA schools. In 1922 the company had achieved legal reserve status, a position enjoyed by only four other Black insurance companies at that time. 31. Herndon bought the business for $140 in 1905, and when he deposited the sum according to the new state regulatory rules, his company became the first in the state to meet the new requirement. His full name is Alonzo Franklin Herndon. 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. (February 23, 2023). Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. } A 1916 reorganization made Herndon's company a shareholder-owned one, but he held the majority of stock. margin-bottom: 10px; background: #f4c85e; Blake Sims. As the founder and President of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, Herndons empire began small but grew to become an inspiration for Black business. She eventually went back to work on the Herndon farm, living in a one-room log cabin with four other former slave families and being paid pitifully meager wages. Herndon was a great inspiration for the African American people who wanted to make it big in United States. Alonzo, Adrienne, and Norris Herndon, 1907. Present this to the class. 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. Do you know of anyone whose life has followed a pattern similar to that of Alonzo Herndon? At the time of his death in 1927, he was also Atlanta 's wealthiest Black citizen, owning more property than any other African American. t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
color:; 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. 2. }body,p{ Herndon also invested in real estate, and then entered the insurance business. .content .standard-layout .post.format-standard .post-img{ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); List choice
color:#494bbc; There he opened his first barbershop. Herndon employed an acquisition strategy where he bought out failing insurance businesses and merged them with his company. } border: 1px solid #f4c85e; Alonzo Herndon was born in Georgia. .social-icon i.fa:hover{ 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. American executive Alonzo Franklin Herndon (1858-1927) founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the leading insurers in the American South. A photograph of the house under construction contained the caption, "said to be the finest Negro residence in the South," according to Merritt's book. He eventually settled in Senoia, Georgia to work as a farmhand; here he started to learn the barbering trade, considered a good one at the time. Age AintWhat?! Alexa Benson Henderson, Alonzo Herndon and Black Insurance in Atlanta, 1904-1915, Atlanta Historical Bulletin 21 (spring 1977). Later, Herndon opened up his first barbershop in Jonesboro, Georgia. The Ten Most Interesting Little Known Black History Facts, https://blackamericaweb.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/10/102214lkbhf.mp3. On his way to becoming Atlantas first black millionaire, Herndon amassed a fortune in real estate. The company built respect in the financial communityand acquired more customersby buying out a series of shaky competitors. Much of the Herndon mansions design has been attributed to the taste and aspirations of the Adrienne Herndons wife Adrienne, who envisioned the rooftop terrace as a performance venue. } 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. .upcoming-events li span { Herndon's significant investments in property allowed him to improve a great deal of housing stock in the city that . Henderson, Alexa. "Alonzo Herndon." 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. Herndon also sought to save other failing Black enterprises. The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. 1. For dues of 25 cents weekly, a payee's beneficiary would receive a sum up to $50 upon death, which paid for funeral expenses. } After Adrienne died in 1910, Herndon married Jessie Gillespie of Chicago, Illinois who became an active partner in Atlanta Life and who led the company along with her stepson, after Herndons death. } 1890. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Alonzo Herndon, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, died in Atlanta on July 21, 1927 at the age of 69. ::selection{ line-height:22px; Alonzo and Adrienne had a son, Norris. What Is The Herndon Foundation? Are you interested reading facts about Alonzo Herndon? In 1913, he signed a partnership agreement with a Kentucky firm, Standard Life. Herdon was a former slave raised in a sharecropping family after the Civil War. });
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. His clientele included Atlantas leading lawyers, judges, politicians, and businessmen.
The Company rapidly expanded, establishing branches in Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas. color:#ddd; "Alonzo Herndon." background:#f4c85e; ."
}h2,.two-grid-layout .post-content h2,.standard-layout .post-title h2{ He passed away on 21 July 1927. 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. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email. Atlanta, GA 30318 At age seven the young Herndonalong with his mother, younger brother, and maternal grandparentsentered freedom homeless and destitute. He was considered. .header a#pull,.home .header a#pull,.header-wrapper header.smaller a#pull,.page-template-magazine-template.page .header-style-one .header #main-menu-wrapper a#pull:before{ He was a member of W.E.B. Subscribe to ournews alerts here, follow uson Twitterand like us onFacebook. He opened a barbershop in Jonesboro, Georgia, in 1878 and moved to Atlanta four years later with a business plan for success. 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. Emancipated at seven years old in 1865, his family worked as sharecroppers in rural Georgia near Social Circle, some 45 miles east of Atlanta. In addition to serving as a role model and inspiration to generations of African American entrepreneurs, Herndon left a significant family legacy. 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. Herndons prominence and influence were enhanced by his family life. As for Atlanta LIfe, it exists today as Atlanta Life Financial Group, located at. font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; To make ends meet, Herndon and his brother worked in the fields as well alongside their mother and grandparents, and he had very little formal schooling as a result. Alonzo was born on June 26, 1858 in Georgia. 23 Feb. 2023
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