A 1916 reorganization made Herndon's company a shareholder-owned one, but he held the majority of stock. 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. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) In 1858, Alonzo Franklin Herndon was born into slavery in Walton County. } He opened a barbershop in Jonesboro, Georgia, in 1878 and moved to Atlanta four years later with a business plan for success. 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. 01 VENUS earth MERCURY sun MARS JUPITER saturn URANUS NEPTUNE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN 149.6 million km 1227.9 million km 57.91 million km 108.2 Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. 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. 1. value: 100, Take a virtual tour of Georgia's museums and galleries, Fashion and politics from Georgia-born designer Frankie Welch. 23 Feb. 2023 . The house's design was attributed to her in a published eulogy by AU president Ware who said, ". Got an event or know of something opening in and around Atlanta? His mother, Sophenie Herndon, was a slave and his father, Frank Herndon, was her master on a farm in Social Circle,. Age AintWhat?! Encyclopedia of World Biography. Twice Herndon's businesses were destroyed by fire: once in 1896 after a gas stove across the street from the Markham ignited its building and leveled the hotel, and again in 1902 when his new place on Marietta Street ignited in a fire that destroyed an entire city block. In mourning, he threw himself into managing his new business. Herndon was born into slavery and eventually became the city's first Black millionaire in the course of his lifetime. One of the souths wealthiest men, he died on July 21, 1927. .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;} In 1910 Alonzo and Jessie Herndon built the Herndon Home which at the time was one of the largest mansions in Atlanta. The New Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding from A More Perfect Union, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. 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. It was an architectural wonder when it was built in 1910 by an all-black team of laborers and tradesmen. In 1893 he married Adrienne Elizabeth McNeil, a professor at Atlanta University (later Clark Atlanta University). "Herndon was eager to capitalize on it.". Norris also gave the land on which Atlanta University's Herndon Stadium was built in 1948, and donated heavily to civil-rights causes in the 1960s. 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. 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. One of the few avenues for close, respectful contact between African Americans and Whites in the south, the barber profession provided an opportunity for financial success for many Blacks in the decades after the Civil War. . 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. 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. header,.page header{ At the time of his death in 1927, he was also Atlantas wealthiest Black citizen, owning more property than any other African American. It also was in 1905 that Herndon made the significant decision to enter the world of insurance finance, and purchased the struggling Atlanta Benevolent and Protective Association, which had been founded by a local African American pastor. Alonzo Herndon with his mother, Sophenie, and his brother, Thomas, ca. Read more Reading age 8 - 10 years Print length 28 pages Language English Grade level 3 - 4 Dimensions 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. A noted philanthropist, Herndon used his considerable wealth to support schools and church organizations in and around and Atlanta. In 1910, the house was built. Herndon was most involved on the local level. Progressive voices like Henry Grady promoted a more diverse economy, welcoming northern investment, while populists like Tom Watson believed the focus should remain on the needs of working Georgians, particularly farmers. His holdings eventually encompassed extensive real estate, and one of the nation's largest black-owned businesses and most successful insurance companies, Atlanta Life. Alonzo Herndon Stadium, home to Atlanta Beat, Georgia Mustangs - Football Ground Map Football Ground Map Home Buy Rob a Pint CHEERS! All Rights Reserved. He was a founding member of Booker T. Washingtons National Negro Business League in 1900. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. 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. 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. } Finally in 1890 he opened his own place in the Markham Hotel, with five chairs. In 1905, Herndon purchased a failing mutual aid association . }. Carole Merritt, director of Herndon Home, takes students on a tour of the house where Alonzo Herndon lived with his wife Adrienne and their son Norris. } 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. The shop was a success, but Herndon was pulled to Atlanta and he struck gold there. His father was Frank Herndon, a white master. "Alonzo Herndon." color:#999; Do you find this information helpful? )- (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. In 1905 he purchased a failing mutual aid association, which he incorporated as the Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association. Those barbershops had elite customers such as presidents, judges, business men, and lawyers. } font-size:38px; One of the results of the Atlanta Race Massacre of 1906 was that Black leaders realized that W. E. B. Holla:CJ@AtlantaFi.com. Birthdate: November 08, 1866. He had been approached by a couple of ministers in the community to acquire the company as something for the black community. Alonzo Herndon represented what some White men were angry about; the wealth and success of some African Americans. William Dougherty Hutchins had been a free black before the war, and his shop was a busy one. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. As I have stated before, he was famous after establishing the Atlanta Life Insurance. 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. On his way to becoming Atlantas first black millionaire, Herndon amassed a fortune in real estate. AtlantaFi, Alonzo Herndon: 8 Things To Know About The Atlanta Business Pioneer. 2. She was the decorator. Alonzo was born on June 26, 1858 in Georgia. In 1878, at the age of 20, Herndon left his family and moved to Jonesboro, Georgia where he openedhis first barbershop. ." He was born on June 26, 1858 and his birthplace is Georgia. His son took over his businesses and . letter-spacing:0.4px; That year Herndon changed the name of the company to Atlanta Life Insurance Company. By 1922 the company had more than $400,000 in assets. } Herndon saved other failing insurance companies by merging their company with Atlanta Life Insurance, claiming his efforts were designed to build confidence in black businesses and save jobs for African American men and women. if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; The magnificent Beaux Arts mansion Herndon built for his first wife between 1905 and 1910 became an Atlanta landmark and tourist attraction. Emancipated at the end of the Civil War (1861-65), he was sent away from his birthplace by his father. Employees: 46,000 background:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.18);} The field hockey venue used during 1996 Summer Olympics located at Morris Brown College was named Herndon Stadium. .post_pagi a i:hover{ color:#f4c85e; All Rights Reserved. [citation needed]. At the time of his death Herndons real estate holdings were valued at nearly $325,000. Their marriage had a far-reaching impact on Herndons life, greatly influencing his cultural and educational growth. U.S.A. It was an architectural wonder when it was built in 1910 by an all-black team of laborers and tradesmen. t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; Find ou another businessman in Alberto Alessi facts. } .flex-slider li .caption-content p{color:#fff;} Herndon quickly found employment in one of the citys most important black- owned barbershops, and just as quickly, developed a loyal clientele among the members of Atlantas white elite who patronized the establishment. 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. 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. Biography. Public Co, 15 Mountain View Road, P.O. } His mother was Sophenie, an enslaved woman. 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). 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. Do you know that he was born into slavery? The couple had a son, Norris, who grew Atlanta Life to even greater heights after Herndons death. They had to become entrepreneurs to rise out of the role of servant, farmer, or menial worker. h3.view{background:#0e0e0e;} Why do you think the Herndon home displayed windows of Alonzo's heritage? , who grew Atlanta Life to even greater heights after Herndons death stock! 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