One of Herndons most lasting contributions includes his role in establishing the United Negro College Fund. Alonzo Herndon moved to Atlanta in 1883, bought a stake in a barbershop on Marietta Street, and by 1904 he owned three shops in Atlanta. Herndon launched a business with only a formal education, but he was determined to make it. li.mega-sub-item> ul.sub-menu >li >a:hover, li.mega-sub-item> ul.sub-menu >li >a:focus, He took his presumed father's surname. border: 1px solid #f4c85e; 56. 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. } .home .navigation .menu > li > a:hover, .home .navigation ul li a:hover, .home header #main-menu-wrapper .menu-item-has-children > a:hover:after, color:#f4c85e; letter-spacing:0.7px; He also invented his money in real estate. img#wpstats{display:none} In addition to serving as a role model and inspiration to generations of African American entrepreneurs, Herndon left a significant family legacy. His barbershops windows were smashed in the Atlanta Race Massacre of 1906. no architect drew the plan. Herndon worked on his fathers plantation near Social Circle, Georgia. Insurance executive In 1883 Herndon migrated to Atlanta, Georgia to continue in the barbering business in the largest city in the state. 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. Herndon was most involved on the local level. 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. Though Herndons successful businesses and investments made him a wealthy man, they did not protect him from the negative effects of racism.
He was a member of W.E.B. How does Alonzo Herndon embody the American dream? abides by its mission to advance the Herndon legacy through education, mentoring, and preparing the next generation of entrepreneurs. Total Assets: $114.35 billion (1994) AtlantaFi, Alonzo Herndon: 8 Things To Know About The Atlanta Business Pioneer. } Alonzo Herndon Stadium, home to Atlanta Beat, Georgia Mustangs - Football Ground Map Football Ground Map Home Buy Rob a Pint CHEERS! He was considered. Herndon's significant investments in property allowed him to improve a great deal of housing stock in the city that . "My aim," he explained in a speech that year delivered at the Tuskegee Institute and quoted in the Merritt book, "has been for several years to try to get as many of our people together to cooperate in business and along all other lines. The great trouble in establishing insurance companies among our people is that it is difficult for our people to understand the advantage of pulling together for the common and for their own good." n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
.navigation ul .current-menu-item > a, .navigation ul li a:hover{ His insurance business reported more than $400,000 in assets in 1922. } .loader { His home was included in National Historic Landmark in United States in 2000. 1858) represents an important piece of black history in Atlanta. The Herndons were very proud to be African Americans. 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. ::selection{ New Georgia Encyclopedia, last modified Jul 14, 2020. https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/, Henderson, A. He was a founding member of Booker T. Washingtons National Negro Business League in 1900. } 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. In 1878, Herndon left Social Circle on foot with eleven dollars in savings and approximately one year of formal schooling. One of the results of the Atlanta Race Massacre of 1906 was that Black leaders realized that W. E. B. Clergyman, activist, author display: block; By 1904, Herndon owned three barber shops in Atlanta, advertising one of them as the largest and best barbershop in the region. At one point, Herndon was the wealthiest African-American in Atlanta. } color:#ddd; 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. In 1922 the company had achieved legal reserve status, a position enjoyed by only four other Black insurance companies at that time. The family attended the First Congressional Church in Atlanta and was closely associated with Clark University and AMA schools.
Alonzo was a great inspiration for those who want to achieve great business. Completed in 1910, the Herndon Home, was the residence of Alonzo Herndon and his family. {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? See whats poppin in the ATL! What Is The Herndon Foundation? 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. 2. )- (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. Let me show you the interesting Facts about Alonzo Herndon if you want to know the founding father of the Atlanta Family Life Insurance Company. At the time, she was teaching drama and elocution at Atlanta University, from which she had only recently graduated, and was the sole African American woman on its faculty. .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);} Your support helps us commission new entries and update existing content. 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. . Box 1615 Herndon was born on July 21, 1858, to Sophenie Herndon, a slave. Within six months, Herndon became a sought-after talent in his new trade. Employees: 32,000 One of the souths wealthiest men, he died on July 21, 1927. 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. [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. font-size:14px; Here are some interesting facts about him for you: Herndon was born on 26 June 1858 in Walton County, Georgia. He passed away on 21 July 1927. 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. .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;} 8. "Significantly, Alonzo chose field labor rather than barbering to depict his critical path to success." As his business blossomed, so did his clientele and influence around the city. U.S.A. Herndons wealth and business position brought with it a great deal of social responsibility, and the African American community looked to him for leadership in a number of areas. After some years, Herndon decided to get in on the insurance business. In 1858, Alonzo Franklin Herndon was born into slavery in Walton County. Henry McNeal Turner was for many years the leading advocate of black migration to Africa a, Public Company Du Bois Niagara Movement. Alonzo Herndon represented what some White men were angry about; the wealth and success of some African Americans. 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. Finally in 1890 he opened his own place in the Markham Hotel, with five chairs.
Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. At the time of his death Herndons real estate holdings were valued at nearly $325,000. In 1900 Herndon joined Atlanta delegates attending the founding meeting of the National Negro Business League, convened by Booker T. Washington in Boston. Encyclopedia.com. 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. Brother of Melissa Herndon; Delilah Herndon; Joan Herndon and Nellie Herndon.
.last-btn #menu >li:last-child > a { }@media screen and (max-width: 768px){body,p{ 1. His father was a white plantation farmer and owner of Herndons mother, Sophenie.
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. border: 1px solid #f4c85e; His barbering business thrived, and he expanded it over the years. Spaulding, Charles Clinton 18741952 .simplesocialbuttons.simplesocialbuttons_inline.simplesocial-simple-round button{
Public Co, 15 Mountain View Road, P.O. Herndon ventured into the realm of racial politics at the turn of the century by joining Booker T. Washington in establishing the National Negro Business League.
Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/herndon-alonzo-franklin. } background:#0e0e0e; Alonzo Herndon. 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. By now Herndon was worth a small fortune, having made shrewd investments in Atlanta real estate, including a commercial strip on Auburn Avenue, business hub of the city's African American community. Even as a boy, however, Herndon exhibited an entrepreneurial spirit. His mother, Sophenie Herndon, was a slave and his father, Frank Herndon, was her master on a farm in Social Circle,. } 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. 31. His holdings eventually encompassed extensive real estate, and one of the nation's largest black-owned businesses and most successful insurance companies, Atlanta Life. .header-wrap-top .top-social-icon li a:hover{color:#f4c85e;} border: 1px solid #f4c85e; McNeil had studied dramatic arts in Boston and New York, receiving the Belasco Gold Medal for excellence in expression in 1908. 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. Herndon also invested in real estate, and then entered the insurance business. ." It also produced his only child, Norris, who succeeded him as chief executive of Atlanta Life Insurance Company. After moving to segregated Atlanta, Herndon opened several barbershops including the upscale Crystal Palace in 1902. In 1905, his property holdings were valued at nearly $325,000. background:#111; line-height:22px; } He gave large sums to a local orphanage and kindergarten for black children, and to the city's leading African American church, First Congregational. 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. With the Southern economy wrecked, she was forced to accept payment in molasses, potatoes, or other provisions in order to feed her sons. Do you know that he was born into slavery? "Alonzo Herndon." In 1878, at the age of 20, Herndon left his family and moved to Jonesboro, Georgia where he openedhis first barbershop. Du Bois called a meeting of selected Black leaders to organize the Niagara Movement, Herndon was among the twenty-nine men who attended the founding meeting in 1905. 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. . Those barbershops had elite customers such as presidents, judges, business men, and lawyers. } William Dougherty Hutchins had been a free black before the war, and his shop was a busy one. Biography. His insurance business reported more than $400,000 in assets in 1922. . Why do you think the Herndon home displayed windows of Alonzo's heritage? Herndon also sought to save other failing Black enterprises. New Georgia Encyclopedia, 20 September 2004, https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/. As his earnings grew, Herndon began to invest in real estate, purchasing more than 100 rental houses, commercial property along Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, and a plantation near Tavares, Florida. At the time of his death in 1927, he was also Atlanta 's wealthiest Black citizen, owning more property than any other African American. 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. Within two years her widower had remarried a Milwaukee, Wisconsin woman, Jessie Gillespie, whose family had a successful hair business in Chicago. Father of Larry Herndon; Roy V Herndon and Ora Herndon. Alonzo Herndon was born in Social Circle, GA in 1858 to a white master and slave, and at the end of the Civil War, he was sent away with his mother, brother, and grandparents. 3. 1858-1927 Alonzo Herndon parlayed success as a barber and as the owner of upscale barbershops into a business empire. Herndon died in 1927, at 69. He took over a company which had $5,000 in assets in 1905. He had been approached by a couple of ministers in the community to acquire the company as something for the black community.
}} Facts about Alonzo Herndon 2: fame As I have stated before, he was famous after establishing the Atlanta Life Insurance. It was an architectural wonder when it was built in 1910 by an all-black team of laborers and tradesmen. The firm grew rapidly in the 1920s, expanding its operations.
As for Atlanta LIfe, it exists today as Atlanta Life Financial Group, located at 191 Peachtree St #2500, Atlanta, GA 30303. 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. Herndon was a successful entrepreneur who made significant contributions to the civil rights of African-Americans as well as their continued higher education after high school. .magazine-single-box .header-style-one .header #main-menu-wrapper{ color:#f4c85e; His father was his mothers White owner, so he was kept on the mans farm. 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. 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. Alonzo's marriage to Adrienne had a far-reaching impact on his life, greatly influencing his cultural and educational growth. . Herndon was also active in the community in other areas. 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. border-color:#f4c85e; "Herndon was eager to capitalize on it.". fbq('track', 'ViewContent', {
.upcoming-events li span { .archive-title, .page-title, li.sl-related-thumbnail h3, .multipage-links span{ } The young Herndon was one of 25 slaves owned by his father, who In the next quarter-century, his business empire grew to include three barbershops, which catered to some of the richest white clientele in Atlanta. font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; DuBois-led Niagara Movement. The house's design was attributed to her in a published eulogy by AU president Ware who said, ". . However, the date of retrieval is often important. 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. .flex-slider .read-more.read-more-slider a:hover,.flex-slider.button-two .read-more.read-more-slider a:hover,.flex-slider.button-three .read-more.read-more-slider a:hover{color:#fff;border-color:#fff;background:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);} Famous for founding and heading the successful Atlanta Family Life Insurance Company, he is also remembered as the . Alonzo and Adrienne had a son, Norris. 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. United States, From Rags to Riches: The Story of Alonzo Herndon, Copyright 2023, Georgia Public Broadcasting. 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). He stopped initially in the community of Senoia (in present-day Coweta County), where he worked as a farmhand and began learning the barbering trade. His full name is Alonzo Franklin Herndon. 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). Another structure on Morris Browns campus is Alonzo Herndon Stadium, an old 15,011-seat stadium that was once used for sports events at the school. He passed away on 21 July 1927. Fittingly, Herndon had asked that his pallbearers be drawn from among his barber staff. Before long, he took up barbering and mens grooming, which afforded freed blacks a level of eliteness in a white world. He also became the president of this company. 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 American executive Alonzo Franklin Herndon (18581927) founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the leading insurers in the American South. Herndon trained as a barber, and had his first small shop in Jonesboro. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. } line-height:22px; After his first wifes death in 1910, Herndon married Jessie Gillespie of Chicago, whose influence and support also aided her husband in his business and social life. } His success in barbering was spectacular, and as his earnings grew, he invested in real estate in Atlanta and in Florida. 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. color:#494bbc; He also owned a hundred or so residential rental properties in the city. American executive Alonzo Franklin Herndon (1858-1927) founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the leading insurers in the American South. An extended European honeymoon was partly spent gathering furnishings to refit his Crystal Palace. The Herndon House is located at 587 University Pl NW, Atlanta, GA 30314 on the campus of Morris Brown College. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. 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. Alonzo Herndon is one of the most well-known black businessmen in Atlanta and Georgias history. It is one of a few structures associated with Herndon in Atlanta and the success he brought to the city. } In 1905, Herndon bought the business, then named the Atlanta Benevolent and Protective Association, and renamed it the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. U.S.A. Herndon was born into slavery as Alonzo Franklin Herndon on June 26, 1858. .content .standard-layout .post.format-standard .post-img{ Georgias rise from the ashes of civil war sparked a debate about development and the future of the state. Telephone: (215) 761-1000 23 Feb. 2023 . color:#5a5d5a; Herndons barbershops, his real estate holdings, and his insurance company flourished throughout the 1920s and survived through the Great Depression of the 1930s. }.footer-wrapper { Herndon received only a token amount of public schooling.
then he bought a plantation near tavares florida. Alonzo Herndon has been a part of the Entrepreneur list. The field hockey venue used during 1996 Summer Olympics located at Morris Brown College was named Herndon Stadium. He soon founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, where he served as president. At his death in 1927, his real estate was assessed at nearly $325,000. 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. First Congressional Church in Atlanta and in Florida from among his barber.. Development and the success he brought to the city. as a boy, however Herndon... To continue in the city that States in 2000 is located at Brown... Estate, and lawyers. he served as president a founding member of T.! Produced his only child, Norris, who succeeded him as chief of... 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