Herndons wealth and business position brought with it a great deal of social responsibility, and the African American community looked to him for leadership in a number of areas. Atlanta's Alonzo Herndon, born into slavery, became one of the first African-American millionaires in the U.S., founding Atlanta Life Insurance Company, among When he was a teen, his father hired him as an apprentice on the farm for the sum of $25 the first year, $30 the second, and $40 the third, nearly all of which was paid to his mother. 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.". background:#f4c85e; . In 1910, Herndons wife died unexpectedly. The field hockey venue used during 1996 Summer Olympics located at Morris Brown College was named Herndon Stadium. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. .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);} ." Herndon saved other failing insurance companies by merging their company with Atlanta Life Insurance, claiming his efforts were designed to build confidence in black businesses and save jobs for African American men and women. In 1920, the Atlanta Life building, built at 148 Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, came to symbolize the very best of black Atlanta as well as black excellence in the United States. Alonzo Herndon with his mother, Sophenie, and his brother, Thomas, ca. (2004). Born into slavery, he belonged to the first generation of successful African American entrepreneurs of the early twentieth century. } In 1922 the company was reorganized as the Atlanta Life Insurance Company and achieved legal reserve status, a position enjoyed by only four other Black insurance companies at that time. #move-to-top, .th_more_posts a#more_posts:hover, .widget .search-submit:hover, .search .search-submit:hover, #commentform #commentSubmit:hover, #commentform input#submit, .tagcloud a, .mc4wp-form input[type=submit], ul.paging li a:hover, ul.paging li a.current, input[type=submit]:hover{ Featured Content. How does Alonzo Herdon embody the American dream? 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. Discuss the traits and describe how each one contributed to Herndons amazing success. His mother took him, his five-year-old brother, and a few quilts with her, and found work nearby as a day laborer. Total Assets: $256.89 billion (2001) Alonzo Herndon is one of the most well-known black businessmen in Atlanta and Georgias history. His holdings eventually encompassed extensive real estate, and one of the nation's largest black-owned businesses and most successful insurance companies, Atlanta Life. Alonzo was a great inspiration for those who want to achieve great business. It also produced his only child, Norris, who succeeded him as chief executive of Atlanta Life Insurance Company. Merged with two other firms and renamed the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, the firm prospered. 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. Their marriage had a far-reaching impact on Herndons life, greatly influencing his cultural and educational growth. Herndon was born into slavery as Alonzo Franklin Herndon on June 26, 1858. Alonzo Franklin Herndon was an African American entrepreneur who founded and was the first president of Atlanta Life Insurance Company. .format-quote blockquote, .single .format-quote blockquote, .single blockquote{ And the company he founded, Atlanta Life, continues to prosper into the 21st century. font-size:14px; 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. Those barbershops had elite customers such as presidents, judges, business men, and lawyers. .footer-wrapper p, .footer-wrapper a, Herndon also used his wealth to support local institutions and causes, such as the Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA), Atlanta University, the First Congregational Church, the Southview Cemetery, and the Atlanta State Savings Bank. Henry McNeal Turner was for many years the leading advocate of black migration to Africa a, Public Company header,.page header{ He hired top managers with industry experience, trained a professional sales force, and acquired smaller, struggling insurance companies in both Georgia and nearby states. He developed a great reputation as a barber and his business thrived. Alonzo Herndon. 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. content:'Main Menu'; into a half dozen new states, including Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas. 191 Peachtree St #2500, Atlanta, GA 30303. letter-spacing:0.7px; h3.view{background:#0e0e0e;} border-color:#f4c85e; Herndon was born on June 26, 1858 in Walton County, Georgia to Frank Herndon, a white farmer, and Sophenie, his slave. .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);} Regardless of the reason, his acquisition strategy made Atlanta Life one of the most successful black businesses in the nation by the 1920s. Five years later he was one of the original members of the W.E.B. 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. } "My knees quaked with fear for I thought I was being telegraphed," he recalled, according to the Merritt book. His barbering business thrived, and he expanded it over the years. 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. img#wpstats{display:none} 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. 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. 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In 1910, the house was built. } .woocommerce-product-gallery{ opacity: 1 !important; } Facts about Alonzo Herndon 1: life span Herndon was born on 26 June 1858 in Walton County, Georgia. Alonzo Herndon. 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. Progressive voices like Henry Grady promoted a more diverse economy, welcoming northern investment, while populists like Tom Watson believed the focus should remain on the needs of working Georgians, particularly farmers. 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. background:#111; Merritt, The Herndons: An Atlanta Family (Athens: University of Georgia He passed away on 21 July 1927. It is one of a few structures associated with Herndon in Atlanta and the success he brought to the city. Alonzo Herndon was born on the 26th of June, 1858. In 1905, Herndon bought the business, then named the Atlanta Benevolent and Protective Association, and renamed it the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. . She was a drama teacher at Atlanta University at the time. AboutPressCopyrightContact. 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. Pub, Turner, Henry McNeal 18341915 font-size:38px; Learn more about the foundation. Alonzo Herndon was active in a variety of economic and political causes. Before long, he took up barbering and mens grooming, which afforded freed blacks a level of eliteness in a white world. Employees: 46,000 They were homeless and living in poverty. 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. Civil Rights Movement Mid- to Late 20th Century Topics . The Company rapidly expanded, establishing branches in Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas. color:#5a5d5a; 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. In 1905 he purchased a failing mutual aid association, which he incorporated as the Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association. African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927, https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/atlanta/her.htm, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. Day laborer mother took him, his five-year-old brother, and found work nearby as a barber and his,... 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