5 facts about alonzo herndon

You can visit it in Vine City at 587 University Place NW. By 1904, Herndon owned three barber shops in Atlanta, advertising one of them as the largest and best barbershop in the region. 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. His full name is Alonzo Franklin Herndon. His home was included in National Historic Landmark in United States in 2000. At the time of his death in 1927, he was also Atlantas wealthiest Black citizen, owning more property than any other African American. 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. .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);} Year Erected: 2017. 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. 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. Another structure on Morris Browns campus is. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Herndon said he did this to support and empower Black businesses and their workers. "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." 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. His barbershops windows were smashed in the Atlanta Race Massacre of 1906. American executive Alonzo Franklin Herndon (1858-1927) founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the leading insurers in the American South. line-height:22px; Murals in its living room depicted scenes from Herndon's life, including tilling the red-clay fields of Social Circle. "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. 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. AtlantaFi, Alonzo Herndon: 8 Things To Know About The Atlanta Business Pioneer. .slider-wrapper .flex-slider .fs-caption-overlay{ display: block; Before long, he took up barbering and mens grooming, which afforded freed blacks a level of eliteness in a white world. Alexa Benson Henderson, Atlanta Life Insurance Company: Guardian of Black Economic Dignity (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1990). color:#ddd; Only a year later, he was invited to move his premises to one of the citys fanciest hotels, Markham House. His mother, Sophenie Herndon, was a slave and his father, Frank Herndon, was her master on a farm in Social Circle,. . He hired top managers with industry experience, trained a professional sales force, and acquired smaller, struggling insurance companies in both Georgia and nearby states. 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. His insurance company was very successful since it was operated in some states in US such as Texas, Kansas, Florida, Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky. .home .navigation .menu > li > a:hover, .home .navigation ul li a:hover, .home header #main-menu-wrapper .menu-item-has-children > a:hover:after, Tragically, Adrienne died the same year the house was completed after a bout with Addison's disease, a glandular condition. His son took over his businesses and . Company Like BlackAmericaWeb.com onFacebook. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email. if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; In 1922 the company had achieved legal reserve status, a position enjoyed by only four other Black insurance companies at that time. Alonzo Franklin Herndon (June 26, 1858 - July 21, 1927) was an entrepreneur and businessman in Atlanta, Georgia. }.footer-wrapper { His barbering business thrived, and he expanded it over the years. .page blockquote{ His father was a white plantation farmer and owner of Herndons mother, Sophenie. .page-template-magazine-template.page .header-style-one .header #main-menu-wrapper a#pull:before { Why do you think the Herndon home displayed windows of Alonzo's heritage? Herndon was born into slavery and eventually became the city's first Black millionaire in the course of his lifetime. Completed in 1910, the Herndon Home, was the residence of Alonzo Herndon and his family. } Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. His mother took him, his five-year-old brother, and a few quilts with her, and found work nearby as a day laborer. As I have stated before, he was famous after establishing the Atlanta Life Insurance. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 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. 64. Guided in part by advice and information he picked up from his wealthy, influential clientele, Herndon invested the majority of his profits in real estate. 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. s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script', 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. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/herndon-alonzo-franklin. Telephone: (215) 761-1000 After a few months Herndon migrated to the town of Jonesboro, in Clayton County. 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. In 1858, Alonzo Franklin Herndon was born into slavery in Walton County. In 1915, he ventured into Alabama, and the acquired another Georgia insurance company, Union Mutual, the largest black-owned insurer in the state. .read-more.read-more-slider a:hover{ Alonzo Herndon was born in Georgia. He decided to open his barbershop here. 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. font-size:14px; He also became the president of this company. ::selection{ 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. He also supported commercial activities, including the Southview Cemetery Association and the Atlanta State Savings Bank. 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. In 1905, Herndon purchased a failing insurance company, which he incorporated as Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association. Eventually he established Atlanta Life, an insurance company. alonzo herndon in 1905 herndon bought a failing [3], In 1893, Herndon married Adrienne Elizabeth McNeil, a professor at Atlanta University who helped him gain an education and refinement. Facts about Alonzo Herndon 1: life span Herndon was born on 26 June 1858 in Walton County, Georgia. 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. His new venture became the Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association, and by 1907 had 23 offices across Georgia. 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. AboutPressCopyrightContact. 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 clientele included Atlantas leading lawyers, judges, politicians, and businessmen. 1890. 3. content:'Main Menu'; li.mega-sub-item> ul.sub-menu >li >a:hover, li.mega-sub-item> ul.sub-menu >li >a:focus, His insurance business reported more than $400,000 in assets in 1922. From a very young age, Herndon worked as a laborer, and a peddler, to help support his family, as only his mother could work in the early years. 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. One of Herndons most lasting contributions includes his role in establishing the United Negro College Fund. In 1878 Herndon left Social Circle on foot, with eleven dollars of savings and about a year of schooling. Include how this persons life has affected your life. Carole Merritt, The Herndons: An Atlanta Family (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2002). Alonzo Herndon began construction on the house in 1905 and it was substantially complete when Adrienne Herndon died after a brief illness in 1910. } Many people simply call it as Atlanta Life. His father was his mothers White owner, so he was kept on the mans farm. font-size:14px; 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. } Retrieved Jul 14, 2020, from https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/. color:#494bbc; U.S.A. Though Herndons successful businesses and investments made him a wealthy man, they did not protect him from the negative effects of racism. He was the son of his white enslaver, Frank Herndon, and an enslaved woman, Sophenie. 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. } Norris Herndon eventually established the Herndon Foundation, which became the new majority stockholder of Atlanta Life and a major donor to the city's cultural institutions. Holla:CJ@AtlantaFi.com. 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. Alonzo Herndon. 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. !function(c,h,i,m,p){m=c.createElement(h),p=c.getElementsByTagName(h)[0],m.async=1,m.src=i,p.parentNode.insertBefore(m,p)}(document,"script","https://chimpstatic.com/mcjs-connected/js/users/6eb80f4e9d913d31aa4e9667f/bbe0b3a0e8ef645f34a40bece.js"); In 1905 he used his proceeds to purchase a failing insurance business in the city, naming it the Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association. Finally in 1890 he opened his own place in the Markham Hotel, with five chairs. McNeil had studied dramatic arts in Boston and New York, receiving the Belasco Gold Medal for excellence in expression in 1908. } "Herndon was eager to capitalize on it.". 1858) represents an important piece of black history in Atlanta. With the Southern economy wrecked, she was forced to accept payment in molasses, potatoes, or other provisions in order to feed her sons. Today, the mansion that the Herndons built in Atlanta, known as the Herndon Home, is registered as a National Historic Place. His full name is Alonzo Franklin Herndon. }. margin-bottom: 10px; 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. color:#fff;} [1] Herndon died at home in Atlanta on July 21, 1927, at the age of 69. There he opened his first barbershop. background:rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.95); Opened in 1902, it was fitted with opulent furnishings, 25 luxury hair-cutting stations, and several private rooms with bathtubs and showers. Georgia Public Radio GPTV, Dreams Never Realized: The Strike of 1914-15, A Phoenix Reconsumed: The Great Atlanta Fire of 1917, Beyond the Cookies: The Girl Scouts of America, Rebecca Latimer Felton: Senator for a Day, The Empire of Pink Morton: Turn of the Century African-American Mogul, The Mother of the Girl Scouts: Juliette Gordon Low, Welcome South, Brother: Georgia's First Radio Station. His shop at 66 Peachtree Street, outfitted with crystal chandeliers and gold fixtures, was advertised as the largest and best barbershop in the region. He was a member of W.E.B. border-color:#f4c85e; He was born, Facts about Catherine Mcauley talk about the famous person who established the Sisters of Mercy in 1831. @media screen and (max-width: 1024px){ Alonzo Herndon was active in a variety of economic and political causes. Herndon received only a token amount of public schooling. When he turned 20, Herndon left the farm with just $11 dollars and a year of schooling. Perhaps recalling his early years of extreme deprivation, Herndon treated his employees well and became a generous supporter of a number of Atlanta charitable organizations. } He decided to leave his Social Circle in 1878. letter-spacing:0.7px; An extended European honeymoon was partly spent gathering furnishings to refit his Crystal Palace. .page-template-magazine-template header.header-style-one #main-menu-wrapper, Herndon was a great inspiration for the African American people who wanted to make it big in United States. 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. (2004). 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. )- (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. Alonzo Herndon Stadium, home to Atlanta Beat, Georgia Mustangs - Football Ground Map Football Ground Map Home Buy Rob a Pint CHEERS! Incorporateci: 1866 as National Travelers Insurance 1858-1927 Alonzo Herndon parlayed success as a barber and as the owner of upscale barbershops into a business empire. .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;} The job opened the door to his future. 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. Your support helps us commission new entries and update existing content. Alonzo was born on June 26, 1858 in Georgia. background:#f4c85e; .header a#pull,.home .header a#pull,.header-wrapper header.smaller a#pull,.page-template-magazine-template.page .header-style-one .header #main-menu-wrapper a#pull:before{ . 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. Herndon was also a founding member of Booker T. Washingtons National Negro Business League. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Such financial success provided Herndon with entree into Atlantas black elite where he met his wife. Associated With no architect drew the plan. Alonzo and Adrienne had a son, Norris. Alonzo Herndon and Booker T. Washington - Atlanta Life Project. #main-menu-wrapper nav .mega .thunk-widget-menu a:hover,#menu .mega-menu-posts a:hover, Born into slavery, he belonged to the first generation of successful African American entrepreneurs of the early twentieth century. Herndon married Adrienne McNeil in 1893, a professor at Atlanta University, one of the many institutions he supported. Pub, Turner, Henry McNeal 18341915 background:#fff; 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 . line-height:48px; Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Called "The Crystal Palace," it was a lavishly appointed barbershop, with chandeliers and marble floors, and served Atlanta's judges, politicians, and business elite. } .upcoming-events li { Of his lifetime entrepreneur and businessman in Atlanta of Georgia Press, 2002 ) atlantafi, Herndon... Made him a wealthy man, they did not protect him from the negative effects racism! Day laborer United States in 2000 include how this persons Life has affected Life... Of Alonzo Herndon 1: Life span Herndon was born in Georgia the Negro. # x27 ; s first Black millionaire in the Markham Hotel, with eleven dollars of Savings about! Capitalize on it. `` line-height:48px ; Cite this article pick a style below and! Just $ 11 dollars and a few quilts with her, and businessmen in 1878 left. Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association 's Life, including tilling the red-clay fields of Social Circle this article pick style. Font-Size:14Px ; he also supported commercial activities, including the Southview Cemetery Association and Atlanta! Wealthy man, they did not protect him from the negative effects of racism information looks when formatted according that... To support and empower Black businesses and investments made him a wealthy man, they not... 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