Five years later he was one of the original members of the W.E.B. line-height:48px; Another structure on Morris Browns campus is. In 1893 he married Adrienne Elizabeth McNeil, a professor at Atlanta University (later Clark Atlanta University). Herndon continued his to expand his insurance empire. ::selection{ 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. Charles Clinton Spaulding was the United States preeminent black businessman of the early t, Public Company Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. 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. He was a founding member of Booker T. Washington's National Negro Business League in 1900. 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. Freed by the 13th Amendment, Herndon and his mother, younger brother, and maternal grandparents became sharecroppers. 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. .upcoming-events li span { #menu .has-mega-sub-blog-menu .mega-sub-menu ul li a:hover{ ." Their son, Norris Bumstead Herndon, was born in July of 1897, and Adrienne made her stage debut in Boston seven years later using the name Anne Du Bignon. 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. Age AintWhat?! For dues of 25 cents weekly, a payee's beneficiary would receive a sum up to $50 upon death, which paid for funeral expenses. ." Herdon was a former slave raised in a sharecropping family after the Civil War. The Herndon family home was eventually turned into a museum, and was placed on the National Historic Landmark Register in 2000. American executive Alonzo Franklin Herndon (18581927) founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the leading insurers in the American South. .post_pagi a i:hover{ June 26 Horoscope. .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;} His mother took him, his five-year-old brother, and a few quilts with her, and found work nearby as a day laborer. In 1905, Herndon purchased a failing mutual aid association . } [1] Herndon died at home in Atlanta on July 21, 1927, at the age of 69. About his early life Alonzo writes, "My mother was emancipated when I was seven years old and my brother Tom five years old. Alonzo Herndon was active in a variety of economic and political causes. In 1893, Herndon married Adrienne Elizabeth McNeil, a professor at Atlanta University, who influenced his cultural and educational growth. Merritt, The Herndons: An Atlanta Family (Athens: University of Georgia 8. 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. When W. E. B. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource must be submitted to the rights holder. letter-spacing:0.7px; He took his presumed father's surname. All Rights Reserved. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Herndon was born into slavery as Alonzo Franklin Herndon on June 26, 1858. Encyclopedia.com. His child Norris B. Herndon eventually took over Atlanta Life, expanding the company's reach and increasing its profits. letter-spacing:0.4px; The Ten Most Interesting Little Known Black History Facts, https://blackamericaweb.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/10/102214lkbhf.mp3. } Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19192-1550 .simplesocialbuttons.simplesocialbuttons_inline.simplesocial-simple-round button{ 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 1905, his property holdings were valued at nearly $325,000. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Take a virtual tour of Georgia's museums and galleries, Fashion and politics from Georgia-born designer Frankie Welch. /*margin-digbar*/ Completed in 1910, the Herndon Home, was the residence of Alonzo Herndon and his family. Admired and respected by many, he was noted for his involvement in and support of local institutions and charities devoted to advancing African American business and community life. Alonzo Herndon has been a part of the Entrepreneur list. A 1916 reorganization made Herndon's company a shareholder-owned one, but he held the majority of stock. Du Bois Niagara Movement. Alonzo Herndon made his fortune as an entrepreneur--someone who created and ran his own business. His new venture became the Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association, and by 1907 had 23 offices across Georgia. In 1878, Herndon left Social Circle on foot with eleven dollars in savings and approximately one year of formal schooling. .last-btn #menu >li:last-child > a { Include how this persons life has affected your life. Alonzo Herndon. .flex-slider li .caption-content p{color:#fff;} He was one of 25 people enslaved by his father, who never acknowledged paternity of him. She was sent adrift in the world with her two children and a corded bed and [a] few quilts. In 1905, Herndon bought the business, then named the Atlanta Benevolent and Protective Association, and renamed it the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. Biography. } 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. The New Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding from A More Perfect Union, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. McNeil had studied dramatic arts in Boston and New York, receiving the Belasco Gold Medal for excellence in expression in 1908. Spaulding, Charles Clinton 18741952 Herndon was four years old when President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, freed the slaves in the Southern states that had seceded from the Union to join the Confederacy, but was seven when Frank Herndon released them when the war ended. .footer-wrapper .footer-copyright{ .footer-wrapper td{ border-color:#f4c85e; . color:#fff;} 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. How does Alonzo Herdon embody the American dream? [1], Through his enterprises, Herndon became Atlanta's first black millionaire. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. 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. Herndons barbering business expanded, and by 1904 he owned three shops in Atlanta. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/herndon-alonzo-franklin. no architect drew the plan. [1] In 1865, following the American Civil War, Alonzo, then seven, and his family were emancipated, including his mother, her parents, and his younger brother. He was one of 25 people enslaved by his father, who never acknowledged paternity of him. Atlanta Haps Newsletter background:#f4c85e; The house's design was attributed to her in a published eulogy by AU president Ware who said, ". She hired herself out by the day and as there was money in the country, she received as pay potatoes, molasses, and peas enough to keep us from starving.". Encyclopedia of World Biography. In 1905, he purchased a small mutual aid association that eventually became the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. 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. New Georgia Encyclopedia, last modified Jul 14, 2020. https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/, Henderson, A. He went to Jonesboro, Clayton County on foot. In 1882, he moved to Atlanta, and found a post with a highly regarded local barber. } Historian Marcellus Barksdale describes the Crystal Palace as fitting its name. Only a year later, he was invited to move his premises to one of the citys fanciest hotels, Markham House. . HERNDON HOME. The Herndon House is located at 587 University Pl NW, Atlanta, GA 30314 on the campus of Morris Brown College. background:#111; value: 100, } 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). Alonzo F. Herndon is regarded by most historical accounts as Atlantas first Black millionaire, and certainly one of the wealthiest in the early 20th Century. Herndon soon opened his first business, a barbershop, in Jonesboro. Herndon eventually bought into a partnership, but it was later dissolvedperhaps due to Hutchins's financial setbacks, which taught Herndon to always be cautious about business expansion. 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. Tweet. } .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);} .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;} United States, From Rags to Riches: The Story of Alonzo Herndon, Copyright 2023, Georgia Public Broadcasting. content:'Main Menu'; "My knees quaked with fear for I thought I was being telegraphed," he recalled, according to the Merritt book. Herndon set out to make the Atlanta Benevolent and Protective Association into a leading provider of life insurance for African Americans in the South. An. His success in barbering was spectacular, and as his earnings grew, he invested in real estate in Atlanta and in Florida. Herndon was most involved on the local level. The family learned to feed themselves by sharecropping, which is whereHerndon 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. The Herndon Home is a historic house museum and National Historic Landmark at 587 University Place NW, in Atlanta, Georgia.An elegant Classical Revival mansion with Beaux Arts influences, it was the home of Alonzo Franklin Herndon (1858-1927), a rags-to-riches success story who was born into slavery, but went on to become Atlanta's first black millionaire as founder and head of the Atlanta . BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. 20042023 Georgia Humanities, University of Georgia Press. He was a founding member of Booker T. Washingtons National Negro Business League in 1900. His son, Norris B. Herndon, became notable in his own right, expanding the insurance company into an empire.[6]. his personal fortune grew, Herndon entered the field of insurance. }body,p{ Alonzo Herndon. 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. .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{ } Mrs. Herndon and her stepson worked together in leading Atlanta Life to even greater success. 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