Year Erected: 2017. Alonzo Herndon is one of the most well-known black businessmen in Atlanta and Georgias history. 20042023 Georgia Humanities, University of Georgia Press. background:#111; 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. Web site: http://www.chubb.com After a few months Herndon migrated to the town of Jonesboro, in Clayton County. In 1905, he purchased a small mutual aid association that eventually became the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. border: 1px solid #f4c85e; Du Bois's ideas of pushing racial equality were more productive than the ideas of Booker T. Washington. Company } In 1905, Herndon purchased a failing mutual aid association . He also owned a hundred or so residential rental properties in the city. See whats poppin in the ATL! 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. When he turned 20, Herndon left the farm with just $11 dollars and a year of schooling. . Alonzo Franklin Herndon was born on June 6, 1858, in Social Circle, Georgia, which is located in Walton County. 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. }.footer-wrapper { background: #f4c85e; His holdings eventually encompassed extensive real estate, and one of the nation's largest black-owned businesses and most successful insurance companies, Atlanta Life. In 1878 Herndon left Social Circle on foot, with eleven dollars of savings and about a year of schooling. His mother was Sophenie, an enslaved woman. 1. As his personal fortune grew, Herndon entered the field of insurance. Herndon soon opened his first business, a barbershop, in Jonesboro. Mcauley was, Facts about Charles I of England present the interesting information about the monarch of three kingdoms. Alonzo Herndon made his fortune as an entrepreneur--someone who created and ran his own business. In 1905, Herndon purchased a failing insurance company, which he incorporated as Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association. Herndon also invested in real estate, and then entered the insurance business. In 1910 Alonzo and Jessie Herndon built the Herndon Home which at the time was one of the largest mansions in Atlanta. He was a founding member of Booker T. Washingtons National Negro Business League in 1900. Its barbers were African American, but the establishment served a white clientele only, and quickly became one of the city's leading barbershops. In 1922, the name was changed to the Atlanta Life Insurance Company and expanded to several states in the south such as Florida, Kansas, Kentucky and other states. In 1933, Jessie and Norris Herndon turned the ownership of the Crystal Palace over to its employees. Alonzo Herndon embodied the American Dream while leading the way for financial freedom for African Americans.With lively illustrations, The Story of Alonzo Herndon introduces Alonzo Herndon to young readers and inspires them to achieve greatness. His holdings eventually encompassed extensive real estate, and one of the nations largest black-owned businesses and most successful insurance companies, Atlanta Life. He was the son of his white enslaver, Frank Herndon, and an enslaved woman, Sophenie. The article emphasizes his competence and success as a businessman. .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);} Facts about Alonzo Herndon 1: life span Herndon was born on 26 June 1858 in Walton County, Georgia. ::selection{ .footer-wrapper .footer-copyright{ header,.page header{ #menu .has-mega-sub-blog-menu .mega-sub-menu ul li a:hover{ Civil Rights Movement Mid- to Late 20th Century Topics . color:#494bbc!important; 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. h3.view{background:#0e0e0e;} margin: ; .widget .search-submit, .th_more_posts a#more_posts, .slider-post-content .read-more-slider a:hover, .widget .search-submit, .search .search-submit, #commentform #commentSubmit, ul.paging li a{ .magazine-single-box .header-style-one .header #main-menu-wrapper{ Spaulding, Charles Clinton 18741952 Alonzo Herndon was active in a variety of economic and political causes. n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; 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. 1. /*inline margin*/ Merritt, The Herndons: An Atlanta Family (Athens: University of Georgia background:#f4c85e; Atlanta, GA 30318 Herndon died in Atlanta on July 21, 1927, a few weeks after his sixty-ninth birthday. } } Your support helps us commission new entries and update existing content. Do you find this information helpful? 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. Public Co, 15 Mountain View Road, P.O. 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. Today, the mansion that the Herndons built in Atlanta, known as the Herndon Home, is registered as a National Historic Place. Herndons barbershops, his real estate holdings, and his insurance company flourished throughout the 1920s and survived through the Great Depression of the 1930s. It is one of a few structures associated with Herndon in Atlanta and the success he brought to the city. 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. 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. Alonzo wanted to remind himself and others that even though he had become very successful he started out as a slave. 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. The other was John Merricks North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company. "Herndon, Alonzo Franklin 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. Feb. 24 1955. "Significantly, Alonzo chose field labor rather than barbering to depict his critical path to success." Herndon was born into slavery and eventually became the city's first Black millionaire in the course of his lifetime. 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. 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. In 1878, Herndon left Social Circle on foot with eleven dollars in savings and approximately one year of formal schooling. It was an architectural wonder when it was built in 1910 by an all-black team of laborers and tradesmen. In 1910, the house was built. After six months Herndon purchased half interest in the shop, entering into a partnership with one of the few free Blacks operating barbering establishments since before the Civil War. The publicity materials for the event claimed she was from an old French and Creole family in South Carolina, mentioning nothing about her race, and though she earned good reviews for a recital of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, no other roles came her way. Husband of Jane Gaston. } His barbering business thrived, and he expanded it over the years. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); List choice A noted philanthropist, Herndon used his considerable wealth to support schools and church organizations in and around and Atlanta. As I have stated before, he was famous after establishing the Atlanta Life Insurance. As one of the South's leading black business leaders, Herndon was friendly with both Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; Facts about Elias Howe make us talk about the American inventor. "Herndon, Alonzo Franklin 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. Eventually he established Atlanta Life, an insurance company. .flex-slider li .caption-content a{color:#fff;} value: 100, 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. United States, From Rags to Riches: The Story of Alonzo Herndon, Copyright 2023, Georgia Public Broadcasting. } Mrs. Herndon and her stepson worked together in leading Atlanta Life to even greater success. 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. He also became the president of this company. line-height:22px; Herndon was a great inspiration for the African American people who wanted to make it big in United States. . Later, Herndon opened up his first barbershop in Jonesboro, Georgia. .navigation ul .current-menu-item > a, .navigation ul li a:hover{ DuBois-led Niagara Movement. Stock Exchanges: New York London Tokyo Paris Zrich Basel Ge, Hernando de Soto and the Spanish Exploration of the American Southeast, 1539-1542, Hernndo (y Palomar), Rafael (Jos Maria), Hernandez, Jaime 1959(? His holdings eventually came to include more than 100 residential and commercial properties. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource must be submitted to the rights holder. "Herndon was eager to capitalize on it.". . It was located 40 miles to the east of Atlanta. 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. Are you interested reading facts about Alonzo Herndon? fbq('track', 'PageView'); 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. He soon founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, where he served as president. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Born into slavery, he belonged to the first generation of successful African American entrepreneurs of the early twentieth century. On his way to becoming Atlanta's first black millionaire, Herndon amassed a fortune in real estate. 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