Total Assets: $114.35 billion (1994) About his early life Alonzo writes, "My mother was emancipated when I was seven years old and my brother Tom five years old. n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; 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. Alonzo Herndon began construction on the house in 1905 and it was substantially complete when Adrienne Herndon died after a brief illness in 1910. 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. It was located 40 miles to the east of Atlanta. 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); At the time of his death in 1927, he was also Atlantas wealthiest Black citizen, owning more property than any other African American. #move-to-top, .th_more_posts a#more_posts:hover, .widget .search-submit:hover, .search .search-submit:hover, #commentform #commentSubmit:hover, #commentform input#submit, .tagcloud a, .mc4wp-form input[type=submit], ul.paging li a:hover, ul.paging li a.current, input[type=submit]:hover{ A second restructuring in 1922 gave the company, by now operating in several Southern states, the name "Atlanta Life.". line-height:48px; How does Alonzo Herdon embody the American dream? Husband of Jane Gaston. His full name is Alonzo Franklin Herndon. AboutPressCopyrightContact. Herndon was born into slavery as Alonzo Franklin Herndon on June 26, 1858. Alonzo Herndon, a former slave born in 1858 in Social Circle, sought to better himself and ultimately became Atlanta's first African-American millionaire. Feb. 24 1955. In addition to serving as a role model and inspiration to generations of African American entrepreneurs, Herndon left a significant family legacy. She was the decorator. . In mourning, he threw himself into managing his new business. Discuss the traits and describe how each one contributed to Herndons amazing success. Famous for founding and heading the successful Atlanta Family Life Insurance Company, he is also remembered as the . Herndon received only a token amount of public schooling. } .upcoming-events li span { .footer-wrapper .footer-copyright{ After being emancipated, his family found a job in sharecropper in Social Circle, Georgia. After Herndons death in 1927, his son, Norris B. Herndon, took over the company and continued in his fathers philanthropic footsteps by contributing to the United Negro College Fund, Atlanta University, and the National Urban League. background:#494bbc; 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. background:#f4c85e; He was also involved in the Southview Cemetery Association, Atlanta Loan and Trust, and the Atlanta State Savings Bank, and was a key investor in Gate City Drug Company, the first black-owned drugstore on Auburn Avenue. Herndon 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. Herndon was featured in The Crisis Magazine's Men of the Month in March 1921. letter-spacing:0.7px; font-size:14px; He also put aside a small portion as savings, which he earmarked for the purpose of leaving Social Circle as soon as possible to improve his economic and social condition. Here are some interesting facts about him for you: Herndon was born on 26 June 1858 in Walton County, Georgia. Herndon also used his wealth to support local institutions and causes, such as the Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA), Atlanta University, the First Congregational Church, the Southview Cemetery, and the Atlanta State Savings Bank. Arriving in early 1883, he secured employment as a barber in a shop on Marietta Street owned by William Dougherty Hutchins, an African American. Alonzo is also well known as, 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 mother, Sophenie Herndon, was a slave and his father, Frank Herndon, was her master on a farm in Social Circle,. His full name is Alonzo Franklin Herndon. Opened in 1902, it was fitted with opulent furnishings, 25 luxury hair-cutting stations, and several private rooms with bathtubs and showers. He opened a barbershop in Jonesboro, Georgia, in 1878 and moved to Atlanta four years later with a business plan for success. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. At one point, Herndon was the wealthiest African-American in Atlanta. He also became the president of this company. } into a half dozen new states, including Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas. } Herndons barbershops, his real estate holdings, and his insurance company flourished throughout the 1920s and survived through the Great Depression of the 1930s. .loader { 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. Worked Fields as a Child } 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. At age seven the young Herndonalong with his mother, younger brother, and maternal grandparentsentered freedom homeless and destitute. Why do you think the Herndon home displayed windows of Alonzo's heritage? border-color:#f4c85e; Web site: http://www.chubb.com It remained a segregated establishment until it closed in 1972. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. } Born into slavery, he belonged to the first generation of successful African American entrepreneurs of the early twentieth century. Norris B. Herndon, his son also contributed a lot to the company since he made it into a multimillion dollar company. Alexa Benson Herndon, Atlanta Life Insurance Company: Guardian of Black 1. Get facts about Alan Sugar here. Eventually he established Atlanta Life, an insurance company. James Oglethorpe Colonial Figures. American executive Alonzo Franklin Herndon (18581927) founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the leading insurers in the American South. Now he was a great deal businessman. .header-wrap-top .top-menu .top li a:hover{ At the time of. color:#494bbc; In 1905 he purchased a failing mutual aid association, which he incorporated as the Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association. In 1913, he signed a partnership agreement with a Kentucky firm, Standard Life. currency: 'USD', line-height:48px; "Alonzo Herndon." Alonzo Herndon. color:#494bbc; Merritt, Carole, The Herndons: An Atlanta Family, University of Georgia Press, 2002. .home .navigation .menu > li > a, .home header #main-menu-wrapper .menu-item-has-children > a:after, .home .navigation ul li a, .home header #main-menu-wrapper .menu-item-has-children > a:after,.navigation .menu > li > a, header #main-menu-wrapper .menu-item-has-children > a:after, .navigation ul li a, header #main-menu-wrapper .menu-item-has-children > a:after,.smaller .navigation .menu > li > a,.home header.smaller .navigation .menu > li > a,.home header.smaller #main-menu-wrapper .menu-item-has-children > a:after,.home.page-template-magazine-template .navigation .menu > li > a, .home.page-template-magazine-template header #main-menu-wrapper .menu-item-has-children > a:after{ ::selection{ His business was very great and he could expand it. In 1905, he purchased a small mutual aid association that eventually became the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. } Box 1615 Include how this persons life has affected your life. Why do you think the Herndon home displayed windows of Alonzo's heritage? 1858) represents an important piece of black history in Atlanta. 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 brought in experienced, professional management with a sound business plan that included an expanded, knowledgeable sales force and a new network of branch offices. Year Erected: 2017. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. His father was his mothers White owner, so he was kept on the mans farm. One of the souths wealthiest men, he died on July 21, 1927. .footer-wrapper td{ } One of Herndons most lasting contributions includes his role in establishing the United Negro College Fund. .magazine-single-box .header-style-one .header #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. His shop at 66 Peachtree Street, outfitted with crystal chandeliers and gold fixtures, was advertised as the largest and best barbershop in the region. Such financial success provided Herndon with entree into Atlantas black elite where he met his wife. .footer-wrapper p, .footer-wrapper a, Many white men used African-American barbers in these years. He also owned a hundred or so residential rental properties in the city. } 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 . [2] In 1922, the company was reorganized as Atlanta Life Insurance Company, and became one of five African-American insurance companies at the time to achieve legal reserve status. .header-wrap-top .top-social-icon li a:hover{color:#f4c85e;} He was considered. 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. 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. He was a founding member of Booker T. Washingtons National Negro Business League in 1900. In 1922 the company had achieved legal reserve status, a position enjoyed by only four other Black insurance companies at that time. Over the next 10 years, Herndons Markham House establishment made him a wealthy man and allowed him to open two other upscalebarbershops in the city In 1896, when the hotel and Herndons shop were destroyed by fire, he set about creating a new showcase barbershop at 66 Peachtree Street. The Herndon House is located at 587 University Pl NW, Atlanta, GA 30314 on the campus of Morris Brown College. .post-share i.fa:hover, .footer-copyright .social-icon ul li a:hover, .header-bottom .social-icon ul li a:hover, .content .post-content .read-more a, a.more-link, ul li a:hover, #commentform #commentSubmit, ol.commentlist li .reply a, .th-widget-recent-post .th-recent-post h5 a:hover, .widget .twitter-user a, .standard-layout .format-link h2, .th_more_posts a#more_posts, .format-quote blockquote p:before, .widget .tagcloud a:hover, .content .post-content .description p a, .page-description p a, .multipage-links span, .content .navigation.post-navigation .nav-links a:hover, .content #main .pagination a:hover, .post-title h2:hover{color:#f4c85e;} It was an architectural wonder when it was built in 1910 by an all-black team of laborers and tradesmen. color:#f4c85e; 1890. He soon founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, where he served as president. 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. Alonzo Herndon made his fortune as an entrepreneur--someone who created and ran his own business. Herndons barbershop expanded to three shops, attracting Black Atlantas elite. His father was Frank Herndon, the white farmer to whose Social Circle, Georgia land Sophenie was restricted. Alonzo Herndon with his mother, Sophenie, and his brother, Thomas, ca. 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. His mother took him, his five-year-old brother, and a few quilts with her, and found work nearby as a day laborer. 1925. 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. An. 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 took his presumed father's surname. The legacy of Alonzo Herndon (b. Eventually he acquired more than 100 houses, a large block of commercial property on Auburn Avenue, and a large estate in Tavares, Florida. 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. )- (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. 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. 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 holdings eventually came to include more than 100 residential and commercial properties. #main-menu-wrapper nav .mega .thunk-widget-menu .menu a:hover { Alexa Benson Henderson, Atlanta Life Insurance Company: Guardian of Black Economic Dignity (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1990). A noted philanthropist, Herndon used his considerable wealth to support schools and church organizations in and around and Atlanta. Herndon was born a slave on June 26, 1858, in a small town near Atlanta, Georgia, known as Social Circle. 1. Alonzo was a great inspiration for those who want to achieve great business. Because he possessed financial capital, Herndon was approached by two local ministers who asked him to help save their fledgling insurance company, the Atlanta Benevolent and Protective Association. In his leisure time, he relaxed at an orange-grove estate he had acquired in Lake County, Florida, which he improved and sold some years later at an impressive profit. his personal fortune grew, Herndon entered the field of insurance. background:#111; 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. "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. Alonzo was a founding member of Booker T. Washingtons National Negro business League in 1900 family a! 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