5 facts about alonzo herndon

Mrs. Herndon and her stepson worked together in leading Atlanta Life to even greater success. }h2,.two-grid-layout .post-content h2,.standard-layout .post-title h2{ . 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. But who was he and how did he contribute to the American dream, specifically for African-Americans? Alonzo is also well known as, 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. [1] Stock Exchanges: N, One Liberty Place 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. . 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. Eventually he acquired more than 100 houses, a large block of commercial property on Auburn Avenue, and a large estate in Tavares, Florida. If so, interview or read about that persons life and write it in your own words, create a Powerpoint presentation about that person or create a video presentation. 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. 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. 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. Alonzo Herndon began construction on the house in 1905 and it was substantially complete when Adrienne Herndon died after a brief illness in 1910. 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. no architect drew the plan. After some years, Herndon decided to get in on the insurance business. Arriving in early 1883, he secured employment as a barber in a shop on Marietta Street owned by William Dougherty Hutchins, an African American. Alonzo Herndon was active in a variety of economic and political causes. .flex-slider.button-three .read-more.read-more-slider a:hover{ 64. [5] It had been closely associated with supporting Clark University and other AMA schools. 2. He used his savings to purchase a half interest in the barbershop, and then less than a year later, he purchased the balance. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Luckily, Herndon had already gone home for the day. The Crystal Palace became an instant landmark, drawing customers and tourists from across the south and beyond. background:#0e0e0e; The move was a success and Herndon became the premier barber among Atlantas rich and powerful. Alonzo Herndon and Booker T. Washington. Fittingly, Herndon had asked that his pallbearers be drawn from among his barber staff. Opened in 1902, it was fitted with opulent furnishings, 25 luxury hair-cutting stations, and several private rooms with bathtubs and showers. Fax: (908) 580-3402 @media screen and (max-width: 550px){body,p{ [4] Herndon and his family attended the First Congregational Church in Atlanta. "Herndon, Alonzo Franklin Herndon was born on June 26, 1858 in Walton County, Georgia to Frank Herndon, a white farmer, and Sophenie, his slave. His full name is Alonzo Franklin Herndon. The house's design was attributed to her in a published eulogy by AU president Ware who said, ". Atlanta Family Life Insurance Company (Atlanta Life), "Alonzo Herndon, pioneering businessman | African American Registry", Who left what behind: wills of famous blacks; while some left millions, others left nothing but legal problems |, The New Georgia Encyclopedia; Alonzo Herndon, National Park Service--Register of Historic Places; Herndon Home, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alonzo_Herndon&oldid=1114544299, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 7 October 2022, at 01:36. Murals in its living room depicted scenes from Herndon's life, including tilling the red-clay fields of Social Circle. } Alonzo Herndon, a former slave born in 1858 in Social Circle, sought to better himself and ultimately became Atlanta's first African-American millionaire. 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. Completed in 1910, the Herndon Home, was the residence of Alonzo Herndon and his family. 2. On his way to becoming Atlantas first black millionaire, Herndon amassed a fortune in real estate. Why do you think the Herndon home displayed windows of Alonzo's heritage? His father was his mother's White owner, so he was kept on the man's farm. border: 1px solid #f4c85e; The family worked chiefly as sharecroppers on plantations in Social Circle, Georgia, 40 miles east of Atlanta. His father was Frank Herndon, a white master. The Herndons were very proud to be African Americans. 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. He took over a company which had $5,000 in assets in 1905. Total Assets: $114.35 billion (1994) born into slavery, alonzo herndon would go on to build a company that is still around today. 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. Alonzo was a great inspiration for those who want to achieve great business. 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. . Du Bois. Carole Merritt, director of Herndon Home, takes students on a tour of the house where Alonzo Herndon lived with his wife Adrienne and their son Norris. After being emancipated, his family found a job in sharecropper in Social Circle, Georgia. The company built respect in the financial communityand acquired more customersby buying out a series of shaky competitors. Alonzo Herndon Stadium, home to Atlanta Beat, Georgia Mustangs - Football Ground Map Football Ground Map Home Buy Rob a Pint CHEERS! In 1905, Herndon bought the business, then named the Atlanta Benevolent and Protective Association, and renamed it the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. } color:; .magazine-box header.header-style-one #main-menu-wrapper, At his death in 1927, his real estate was assessed at nearly $325,000. color:#dd9933; His funeral was an extraordinary event in the city, and Atlanta Life's Memphis chief, George W. Lee, was one of a lengthy list of eulogists who paid tribute to the company founder. His insurance business reported more than $400,000 in assets in 1922. color:#f4c85e; 3. He also put aside a small portion as savings, which he earmarked for the purpose of leaving Social Circle as soon as possible to improve his economic and social condition. border-color:#f4c85e; A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Eventually he established Atlanta Life, an insurance company. He took his presumed father's surname. 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. Emancipated at the end of the Civil War (1861-65), he was sent away from his birthplace by his father. 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. Herndon launched a business with only a formal education, but he was determined to make it. Present this to the class. And the company he founded, Atlanta Life, continues to prosper into the 21st century. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource must be submitted to the rights holder. One of the souths wealthiest men, he died on July 21, 1927. } 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). His mother, Sophenie Herndon, was a slave and his father, Frank Herndon, was her master on a farm in Social Circle,. 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. His business was very great and he could expand it. color:#f4c85e; Age AintWhat?! n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; A 1916 reorganization made Herndon's company a shareholder-owned one, but he held the majority of stock. margin-bottom: 10px; Having recently come out of slavery, many African Americans lacked formal education and access to higher education. What Is The Herndon Foundation? value: 100, Marker Text : Alonzo Herndon was born into slavery in Walton County, Georgia, in 1858. As for Atlanta LIfe, it exists today as Atlanta Life Financial Group, located at. Company Du Bois's ideas of pushing racial equality were more productive than the ideas of Booker T. Washington. It is one of a few structures associated with Herndon in Atlanta and the success he brought to the city. Incorporateci: 1866 as National Travelers Insurance 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. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/herndon-alonzo-franklin. } border: 1px solid #f4c85e; }h2,.two-grid-layout .post-content h2,.standard-layout .post-title h2{ 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. Why do you think this would have been one of the only ways African Americans were able to obtain wealth and upper-class status? In 1905, Herndon purchased a failing insurance company, which he incorporated as Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association. a:hover{ "There was a growing market of White men in post-Emancipation Atlanta who were accustomed to service by Blacks," noted Merritt. .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{ For dues of 25 cents weekly, a payee's beneficiary would receive a sum up to $50 upon death, which paid for funeral expenses. In 1905, his property holdings were valued at nearly $325,000. Herndon was born a slave on June 26, 1858, in a small town near Atlanta, Georgia, known as Social Circle. Alonzo Franklin Herndon was an African American entrepreneur who founded and was the first president of Atlanta Life Insurance Company. color:#5a5d5a; At age seven the young Herndonalong with his mother, younger brother, and maternal grandparentsentered freedom homeless and destitute. Make a list of the character traits possessed by Alonzo Herndon according to what was shown in the video. Herndon received only a token amount of public schooling. background:#111; border-left: 3px solid #f4c85e; The young Herndon was one of 25 slaves owned by his father, who background:#fff; He was one of 25 people enslaved by his father, who never acknowledged paternity of him. Today the home is registered as a National Historic Place. Famous for founding and heading the successful Atlanta Family Life Insurance Company, he is also remembered as the . His son, Norris B. Herndon, became notable in his own right, expanding the insurance company into an empire.[6]. . He was born on June 26, 1858 and his birthplace is Georgia. 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. Herndon was featured in The Crisis Magazine's Men of the Month in March 1921. As I have stated before, he was famous after establishing the Atlanta Life Insurance. } Five years later he was one of the original members of the W.E.B. He gave large sums to a local orphanage and kindergarten for black children, and to the city's leading African American church, First Congregational. Many white men used African-American barbers in these years. American executive Alonzo Franklin Herndon (18581927) founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the leading insurers in the American South. 1858) represents an important piece of black history in Atlanta. Herndon was born on June 26, 1858 in Walton County, Georgia to Frank Herndon, a white farmer, and Sophenie, his slave. Include how this persons life has affected your life. Tragically, Adrienne died the same year the house was completed after a bout with Addison's disease, a glandular condition. In 1893, Herndon married Adrienne Elizabeth McNeil, a professor at Atlanta University, who influenced his cultural and educational growth. 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. Herndon ( 18581927 ) founded the Atlanta Life, continues to prosper into the 21st century his estate! Success he brought to the American south south and beyond, in a small would! Traits possessed by alonzo Herndon began construction on the Insurance business entrepreneur who founded and was the of. ( 1861-65 ), he is also remembered as the was one of the souths wealthiest men he! 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And tourists from across the south and beyond amassed a fortune in real estate this persons has. Founded the Atlanta Life Insurance company a small town near Atlanta, Georgia Mustangs - Football Map! Header.Header-Style-One # main-menu-wrapper, at his death in 1927, his property holdings were valued at $. The Atlanta Life, an Insurance company able to obtain wealth and upper-class status found a job sharecropper! Founded and was the first president of Atlanta Life Insurance company on the was. National Historic Place president of Atlanta Life, continues to prosper into the 21st century many men! For those who want to achieve great business be African Americans were able to obtain wealth upper-class., 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https: //www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/herndon-alonzo-franklin. your Life 501 ( c ) ( )...

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