5 facts about alonzo herndon5 facts about alonzo herndon
Feb. 24 1955. He was a member of W.E.B. Today, the mansion that the Herndons built in Atlanta, known as the Herndon Home, is registered as a National Historic Place. As I have stated before, he was famous after establishing the Atlanta Life Insurance. 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. His insurance business reported more than $400,000 in assets in 1922. Henderson, Alexa. His insurance company was very successful since it was operated in some states in US such as Texas, Kansas, Florida, Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky. The family worked chiefly as sharecroppers on plantations in Social Circle, Georgia, 40 miles east of Atlanta. In 1883 Herndon migrated to Atlanta, Georgia to continue in the barbering business in the largest city in the state. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. 2. 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. Historian Marcellus Barksdale describes the Crystal Palace as fitting its name. New Georgia Encyclopedia, 20 September 2004, https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/. "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. Alexa Benson Herndon, Atlanta Life Insurance Company: Guardian of Black Birthdate: November 08, 1866. June 26 Horoscope. .archive-title, .page-title, li.sl-related-thumbnail h3, .multipage-links span{ Clergyman, activist, author 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. The legacy of Alonzo Herndon (b. color:#494bbc!important; Fax: (215) 761-5515 "I knew my mother would never consent to my leaving the farm, so I took my little hand trunk on my shoulder and stole silently away in the darkness of night," he wrote in a memoir, according to Carole Merritt's The Herndons: An Atlanta Family. Alonzo Herndon with his mother, Sophenie, and his brother, Thomas, ca. As the founder and President of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, Herndons empire began small but grew to become an inspiration for Black business. .flex-slider li .caption-content p{color:#fff;} ::-moz-selection{ } Alonzo Herndon began construction on the house in 1905 and it was substantially complete when Adrienne Herndon died after a brief illness in 1910. 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. } (Use the internet or biographies of successful people to find someone like this.) 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. One of the results of the Atlanta Race Massacre of 1906 was that Black leaders realized that W. E. B. .navigation ul .current-menu-item > a, .navigation ul li a:hover{ .header-wrap-top .top-menu .top li a:hover{ An entrepreneur at heart, he learned barbering and eventually opened his own shop in Atlanta called the Crystal Palace and later founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. Alonzo Herndon was active in a variety of economic and political causes. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Encyclopedia of World Biography. his personal fortune grew, Herndon entered the field of insurance. (2004). 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. His insurance business reported more than $400,000 in assets in 1922. .navigation .menu > li > a:hover,.navigation ul li a:hover,header #main-menu-wrapper .menu-item-has-children > a:hover:after,.navigation ul ul.sub-menu a:hover,.smaller .navigation ul li a:hover, .home .smaller .navigation .menu > li > a:hover,.navigation ul .current-menu-item > a, Emancipated at seven years old in 1865, his family worked as sharecroppers in rural Georgia near Social Circle, some 45 miles east of Atlanta. color:#5a5d5a; . His clientele included Atlantas leading lawyers, judges, politicians, and businessmen. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. .page-template-magazine-template header.header-style-one #main-menu-wrapper, Do you know of anyone whose life has followed a pattern similar to that of Alonzo Herndon? 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. At his death in 1927, his real estate was assessed at nearly $325,000. 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 made his fortune as an entrepreneur--someone who created and ran his own business. Read more Reading age 8 - 10 years Print length 28 pages Language English Grade level 3 - 4 Dimensions The Herndon House is located at 587 University Pl NW, Atlanta, GA 30314 on the campus of Morris Brown College. Like BlackAmericaWeb.com onFacebook. line-height:22px; In 1878, at the age of 20, Herndon left his family and moved to Jonesboro, Georgia where he openedhis first barbershop. Herndons prominence and influence were enhanced by his family life. 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. AtlantaFi, Alonzo Herndon: 8 Things To Know About The Atlanta Business Pioneer. By 1904, Herndon owned three barber shops in Atlanta, advertising one of them as the largest and best barbershop in the region. color:#f4c85e; !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"); Fax: (908) 580-3402 In 1905, Herndon purchased a failing insurance company, which he incorporated as Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association. Herndon and his wife built an opulent Beaux-Arts Classical mansion near Atlanta University that was finished in 1910. Herndons death in 1927, his son, Norris B. Herndon, took over the company and continued in his fathers philanthropic footsteps by contributing to the United Negro College Fund, Atlanta University, and the National Urban League. .content .standard-layout .post.format-standard .post-img{ 1858-1927 Alonzo Herndon parlayed success as a barber and as the owner of upscale barbershops into a business empire. } .woocommerce-product-gallery{ opacity: 1 !important; } .flex-slider li .caption-content a{color:#fff;} 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. With Herndon playing a pivotal role as president and chief stockholder, the small association expanded its assets from $5,000 in 1905 to more than $400,000 by 1922. 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. Herndon was born into slavery as Alonzo Franklin Herndon on June 26, 1858. 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. fbq('track', 'PageView'); Worked Fields as a Child .loader { As his personal fortune grew, Herndon entered the field of insurance. border: 1px solid #f4c85e; Herndon and the prominent writer and abolitionist Frederick Douglass both spent their early years in slavery. His full name is Alonzo Franklin Herndon. Brother of Melissa Herndon; Delilah Herndon; Joan Herndon and Nellie Herndon. When he turned 20, Herndon left the farm with just $11 dollars and a year of schooling. . Pub, Turner, Henry McNeal 18341915 "My knees quaked with fear for I thought I was being telegraphed," he recalled, according to the Merritt book. Alonzo Herndon, a former slave born in 1858 in Social Circle, sought to better himself and ultimately became Atlanta's first African-American millionaire. Web site: http://www.cigna.com .page blockquote{ See whats poppin in the ATL! 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. no architect drew the plan. Age AintWhat?! At one point, Herndon was the wealthiest African-American in Atlanta. Marker Text : Alonzo Herndon was born into slavery in Walton County, Georgia, in 1858. 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. color:#f4c85e; .post_pagi a i:hover{ Today the home is registered as a National Historic Place. Charles Clinton Spaulding was the United States preeminent black businessman of the early t, Public Company Herndon married Adrienne McNeil in 1893, a professor at Atlanta University, one of the many institutions he supported. One of the souths wealthiest men, he died on July 21, 1927. 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). As for Atlanta LIfe, it exists today as Atlanta Life Financial Group, located at. }); The firm grew rapidly in the 1920s, expanding its operations. On that day in 1878, he walked all the way to Jonesboro, Georgia, but his first stop was a town that had telegraph wires running overhead, something he had never before seen and which unsettled him. After Adrienne died in 1910, Herndon married Jessie Gillespie of Chicago, Illinois who became an active partner in Atlanta Life and who led the company along with her stepson, after Herndons death. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Why do you think the Herndon home displayed windows of Alonzo's heritage? Herndon died in 1927, at 69. Merritt, The Herndons: An Atlanta Family (Athens: University of Georgia .slider-wrapper .flex-slider .fs-caption-overlay{ After Herndons death in 1927, his son, Norris B. Herndon, took over the company and continued in his fathers philanthropic footsteps by contributing to the United Negro College Fund, Atlanta University, and the National Urban League. Eventually he established Atlanta Life, an insurance company. He was known for being a Entrepreneur. } } Herndons barbering business expanded, and by 1904 he owned three shops in Atlanta. Many people simply call it as Atlanta Life. Henderson, Alexa. 3. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) .footer-wrapper .footer-copyright{ header,.page header{ }h2,.two-grid-layout .post-content h2,.standard-layout .post-title h2{ He was one of 25 people enslaved by his father, who never acknowledged paternity of him. A 1916 reorganization made Herndon's company a shareholder-owned one, but he held the majority of stock. he had great clientelle with the money he was getting he was able to invest in real estate.he bought more than 100 rental houses and commercial property in auburn avenue in atlanta. line-height:48px; Herndon was born a slave on June 26, 1858, in a small town near Atlanta, Georgia, known as Social Circle. After moving to segregated Atlanta, Herndon opened several barbershops including the upscale Crystal Palace in 1902. Alonzo was a great inspiration for those who want to achieve great business. About his early life Alonzo writes, "My mother was emancipated when I was seven years old and my brother Tom five years old. 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