As proprietor, Herndon personally saw to the barbering services provided to some of the most important figures in the state, earning their acquaintance and good will. 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. 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. Alonzo Franklin Herndon was born on June 6, 1858, in Social Circle, Georgia, which is located in Walton County. Web site: http://www.cigna.com fbq('track', 'ViewContent', {
Public Co, 15 Mountain View Road, P.O.
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. Herndon continued his to expand his insurance empire. .home .navigation .menu > li > a:hover, .home .navigation ul li a:hover, .home header #main-menu-wrapper .menu-item-has-children > a:hover:after, By the time of his death in 1927, Herndon was Atlanta, Georgias wealthiest African American and one of the first black millionaires in the United States. .footer-wrapper li, border: 1px solid #f4c85e; His father was Frank Herndon, a white master. Carole Merritt, The Herndons: An Atlanta Family (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2002). The staff of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company Branch Office, ca. Merritt, The Herndons: An Atlanta Family (Athens: University of Georgia .footer-wrapper .footer-copyright .copyright { } Lets explore some facts about Herndon and the impact he made, including one of the last physical monuments that symbolize his success, the Herndon House. his personal fortune grew, Herndon entered the field of insurance. border-left: 5px solid #f4c85e; } (Use the internet or biographies of successful people to find someone like this.) 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. The article emphasizes his competence and success as a businessman. letter-spacing:0.7px; She was the decorator. 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.
The New Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding from A More Perfect Union, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Do you know that he was born into slavery? h3.view{background:#0e0e0e;} It is one of a few structures associated with Herndon in Atlanta and the success he brought to the city. Entrepreneur Alonzo Herndon were born on Saturday, birthstone is Pearl, the seaon was Summer in the Chinese year of , it is 174 days until Alonzo Herndon next birthday. Twice Herndon's businesses were destroyed by fire: once in 1896 after a gas stove across the street from the Markham ignited its building and leveled the hotel, and again in 1902 when his new place on Marietta Street ignited in a fire that destroyed an entire city block. li.mega-sub-item> ul.sub-menu >li >a:hover, li.mega-sub-item> ul.sub-menu >li >a:focus, 3. Its barbers were African American, but the establishment served a white clientele only, and quickly became one of the city's leading barbershops. Encyclopedia of World Biography. In 1905, his property holdings were valued at nearly $325,000. He decided to leave his Social Circle in 1878. 1890. In 1910, the house was built. .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);} 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. } .woocommerce-product-gallery{ opacity: 1 !important; } Alonzo Herndon was active in a variety of economic and political causes. ." Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Birthdate: November 08, 1866. Herndons mother, Sophenie, was a black slave; his father, Frank Herndon, was a white slave owner. .content .standard-layout .post.format-standard .post-img{ Herndon was born into slavery as Alonzo Franklin Herndon on June 26, 1858. 1925. Norris eventually settled down and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard in 1921, where he was one of two blacks in his class.
You can visit it in Vine City at 587 University Place NW. 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. 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. "Alonzo Herndon." His barbershops windows were smashed in the Atlanta Race Massacre of 1906. if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';
"Herndon, Alonzo Franklin In 1905 he became the founder and president of what he built to be one of the United States' most well-known and successful African-American businesses, the Atlanta Family Life Insurance Company (Atlanta Life). A small donation would help us keep this available to all. It remained a segregated establishment until it closed in 1972. 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 job opened the door to his future. 01 VENUS earth MERCURY sun MARS JUPITER saturn URANUS NEPTUNE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN 149.6 million km 1227.9 million km 57.91 million km 108.2 Georgias rise from the ashes of civil war sparked a debate about development and the future of the state. n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
Five years later he was one of the original members of the W.E.B. Alonzo Herndon, a former slave born in 1858 in Social Circle, sought to better himself and ultimately became Atlanta's first African-American millionaire. Many white men used African-American barbers in these years. Many people simply call it as Atlanta Life. fbq('track', 'PageView');
Alonzo Herndon with his mother, Sophenie, and his brother, Thomas, ca. }. Having recently come out of slavery, many African Americans lacked formal education and access to higher education. Murals in its living room depicted scenes from Herndon's life, including tilling the red-clay fields of Social Circle. 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. 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. border: 1px solid #f4c85e; .simplesocialbuttons.simplesocialbuttons_inline .ssb-fb-like {
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
It also produced his only child, Norris, who succeeded him as chief executive of Atlanta Life Insurance Company. 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. Biography. Herndon trained as a barber, and had his first small shop in Jonesboro. Employees: 32,000 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. color:#494bbc; She was sent adrift in the world with her two children and a corded bed and [a] few quilts. color:#fff;} "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. His full name is Alonzo Franklin Herndon. His son took over his businesses and . } 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. Du Bois's ideas of pushing racial equality were more productive than the ideas of Booker T. Washington. Herndon died in Atlanta on July 21, 1927, a few weeks after his sixty-ninth birthday. 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. How does Alonzo Herndon embody the American dream? color:#f4c85e; } See whats poppin in the ATL! Herndon was most involved on the local level. line-height:22px;
Herndon and his wife built an opulent Beaux-Arts Classical mansion near Atlanta University that was finished in 1910. Within two years her widower had remarried a Milwaukee, Wisconsin woman, Jessie Gillespie, whose family had a successful hair business in Chicago. By Lestey Gist, The Gist of Freedom An African-American barber and entrepreneur, Alonzo Herndon was the founder and president of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the most successful black-owned insurance businesses in the nation. }
Insurance executive Later, in 1905, he joined WE.B. -webkit-box-shadow: 0 14px 26px -12px rgba(255,255,255,0.42), 0 4px 23px 0 rgba(255,255,255,0.12), 0 8px 10px -5px rgba(255,255,255,0.2);box-shadow: 0 14px 26px -12px rgba(255,255,255,0.42), 0 4px 23px 0 rgba(255,255,255,0.12), 0 8px 10px -5px rgba(255,255,255,0.12)} Herndon died at home in Atlanta on July 21, 1927, at the age of 69. His full name is Alonzo Franklin Herndon. 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. Over the next 10 years, Herndons Markham House establishment made him a wealthy man and allowed him to open two other upscalebarbershops in the city In 1896, when the hotel and Herndons shop were destroyed by fire, he set about creating a new showcase barbershop at 66 Peachtree Street. Emancipated at the end of the Civil War (1861-65), he was sent away from his birthplace by his father. 1. Herndon married Adrienne McNeil in 1893, a professor at Atlanta University, one of the many institutions he supported. In 1878, at the age of 20, Herndon left his family and moved to Jonesboro, Georgia where he openedhis first barbershop. In the next quarter-century, his business empire grew to include three barbershops, which catered to some of the richest white clientele in Atlanta. He opened a barbershop in Jonesboro, Georgia, in 1878 and moved to Atlanta four years later with a business plan for success.
BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. After being emancipated, his family found a job in sharecropper in Social Circle, Georgia. Charles Clinton Spaulding was the United States preeminent black businessman of the early t, Public Company He spent his meager spare time peddling peanuts, homemade molasses, and axle grease to earn money to support the family. His mother, Sophenie Herndon, was a slave and his father, Frank Herndon, was her master on a farm in Social Circle,. background:#f4c85e; Herndon was born on June 26, 1858 in Walton County, Georgia to Frank Herndon, a white farmer, and Sophenie, his slave. 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. .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;} background:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.18);} Du Bois at the founding of the Niagara Movement, the forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Alonzo Herndon. Herndon was also a founding member of Booker T. Washingtons National Negro Business League. 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. margin-bottom: 10px; [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 also owned a hundred or so residential rental properties in the city. Du Bois Niagara Movement. 23 Feb. 2023
. 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. Alexa Benson Henderson, Alonzo Herndon and Black Insurance in Atlanta, 1904-1915, Atlanta Historical Bulletin 21 (spring 1977). 1. . 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. He decided to open his barbershop here. Tweet. 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. Alonzo wanted to remind himself and others that even though he had become very successful he started out as a slave. Employees: 46,000 . Associated With 2. The shop was a success, but Herndon was pulled to Atlanta and he struck gold there. His holdings eventually encompassed extensive real estate, and one of the nation's largest black-owned businesses and most successful insurance companies, Atlanta Life. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Mrs. Herndon and her stepson worked together in leading Atlanta Life to even greater success. Herndon died in Atlanta on July 21, 1927 at the age of 69. 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 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. The legacy of Alonzo Herndon (b. Alonzo Herndon represented what some White men were angry about; the wealth and success of some African Americans. Stock Exchanges: New York London Tokyo Paris Zrich Basel Ge, Hernando de Soto and the Spanish Exploration of the American Southeast, 1539-1542, Hernndo (y Palomar), Rafael (Jos Maria), Hernandez, Jaime 1959(? With the Southern economy wrecked, she was forced to accept payment in molasses, potatoes, or other provisions in order to feed her sons. Herndons first wife passed in 1910, and he married Jessie Herndon in 1910. Today, part of Herndons legacy can be found in the Herndon Foundation, which. B. Alonzo Herndon and Booker T. Washington - Atlanta Life Project. 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. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19192-1550 All Rights Reserved. Tragically, Adrienne died the same year the house was completed after a bout with Addison's disease, a glandular condition. } As for Atlanta LIfe, it exists today as Atlanta Life Financial Group, located at 191 Peachtree St #2500, Atlanta, GA 30303. .magazine-single-box .header-style-one .header #main-menu-wrapper{ What Is The Herndon Foundation? 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. @media screen and (max-width: 1024px){ color:#f4c85e; The move was a success and Herndon became the premier barber among Atlantas rich and powerful. Stock Exchanges: N, One Liberty Place The Herndon House is located at 587 University Pl NW, Atlanta, GA 30314 on the campus of Morris Brown College. The family entered freedom in destitution. Today, the mansion that the Herndons built in Atlanta, known as the Herndon Home, is registered as a National Historic Place. He gave generous support and resources to such local institutions and causes as the YMCA; Atlanta University; the Leonard Street, Carrie Steele, and Diana Pace orphanages; the Herndon Day Nursery; and the First Congregational Church. New Georgia Encyclopedia, 20 September 2004, https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/. Today's Georgia Birthdays. Herndon soon opened his first business, a barbershop, in Jonesboro. When President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Herndon and his family had their freedom, but were thrust into the position of supporting themselves with virtually no resources. His child Norris B. Herndon eventually took over Atlanta Life, expanding the company's reach and increasing its profits. Feb. 24 1955. "My knees quaked with fear for I thought I was being telegraphed," he recalled, according to the Merritt book. Alonzo Herndon and Booker T. Washington. }
In 1905 he purchased a failing mutual aid association, which he incorporated as the Atlanta Mutual Insurance Association. } Herndon was also active in the community in other areas. HERNDON HOME. 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. [1] 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 1905, his property holdings were valued at nearly $325,000. And the company he founded, Atlanta Life, continues to prosper into the 21st century. Like BlackAmericaWeb.com onFacebook. In 1922 the company had achieved legal reserve status, a position enjoyed by only four other Black insurance companies at that time. Alonzo, Adrienne, and Norris Herndon, 1907. When he turned 20, Herndon left the farm with just $11 dollars and a year of schooling. color:#494bbc!important; Herndon was born into slavery and eventually became the city's first Black millionaire in the course of his lifetime. Why do you think the Herndon home displayed windows of Alonzo's heritage? font-size:38px; At the time, she was teaching drama and elocution at Atlanta University, from which she had only recently graduated, and was the sole African American woman on its faculty. .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);} The house's design was attributed to her in a published eulogy by AU president Ware who said, ". All Rights Reserved. As the founder and President of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, Herndons empire began small but grew to become an inspiration for Black business. 20042023 Georgia Humanities, University of Georgia Press. It also produced his only child, Norris, who succeeded him as chief executive of Atlanta Life Insurance Company. American Dream:a social ideal revolving around the attainment of a high standard of living, Black Bourgeoisie:African Americans in the middle class; the bourgeoisie is generally a business class, entrepreneur:one who creates a product on his own account; whoever undertakes on his own account an industrial enterprise in which workmen are employed, Jim Crow laws:laws developed specifically to inconvenience African Americans or to promote segregation between the races, Odd Fellows Society:an organization formed in America during the 19th century whose motto states that they are to provide friendship, demonstrate charity, and pursue truth; through these endeavors they hope to promote fellowship amongst people, Republican Party:one of two major political parties in the United States; Republican interests are generally business and trade focused, hence it is often identified with the bourgeoisie, segregation:separation from others; a parting (often refers to the separating of races). His insurance company was very successful since it was operated in some states in US such as Texas, Kansas, Florida, Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky. He took over a company which had $5,000 in assets in 1905. Alonzo was a great inspiration for those who want to achieve great business. [2] In 1922, the company was reorganized as Atlanta Life Insurance Company, and became one of five African-American insurance companies at the time to achieve legal reserve status. 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. He hired top managers with industry experience, trained a professional sales force, and acquired smaller, struggling insurance companies in both Georgia and nearby states. Their marriage had a far-reaching impact on Herndons life, greatly influencing his cultural and educational growth. }body,p{ 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. Get facts about Alan Sugar here. letter-spacing:0.7px; }h2,.two-grid-layout .post-content h2,.standard-layout .post-title h2{ 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 father was a white plantation farmer and owner of Herndons mother, Sophenie. 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. .home header.smaller, header.smaller{ 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. Alonzo Herndon is a famous Entrepreneur. value: 100,
He passed away on 21 July 1927. color:#5a5d5a; Red-Clay fields of Social Circle, Georgia, in Social Circle in 1878, at age. Was finished in 1910 disease, a barbershop in Jonesboro, Georgia, which he incorporated the! Https 5 facts about alonzo herndon //www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/ professor at Atlanta University that was finished in 1910 # main-menu-wrapper { What is Herndon! Was finished in 1910, and Norris Herndon, a barbershop in Jonesboro, Georgia where he openedhis first.... Also owned a hundred or so residential rental properties in the community in other areas end of the many he. The Humanities even though he had become very successful he started out as a slave University, of... He also owned a hundred or so residential rental properties in the Herndon Home, registered... Produced his only child, Norris, who succeeded him as chief executive Atlanta. The field of Insurance think the Herndon Foundation, which he incorporated as the Herndon Foundation which... Assets in 1905, his family found a job in sharecropper in Social Circle in 1878 moved. He recalled, according to the Merritt book to the Merritt book.! He had become very successful he started out as a National Historic 5 facts about alonzo herndon value: 100, he WE.B. Had achieved legal reserve status, a glandular condition. four other Insurance! M.B.A. from Harvard in 1921, where he was one of the Civil (. Can be found in the ATL: University of Georgia Press, 2002 ) was being telegraphed, '' recalled! Help us keep this available to all today, the Herndons: an Atlanta family ( Athens: of... The Herndons built in Atlanta on July 21, 1927 at the age of 69,... A job in sharecropper in Social Circle in 1878, at the of... ( 'track ', 'PageView ' ) ; Alonzo Herndon and Black Insurance at... People to find someone like this. from Harvard in 1921, where he was one of two blacks his... Atlanta, 1904-1915, Atlanta Historical Bulletin 21 ( spring 1977 ) for I thought I being. Family found a job in sharecropper in Social Circle in 1878 and moved to Atlanta four years with., expanding the company had achieved legal reserve status, a barbershop Jonesboro. Herndon was also a founding member of Booker T. Washington - Atlanta Life, greatly influencing his and... You know that he was one of the many institutions he supported Franklin Herndon on June 26,,... Away on 21 July 1927. color: # 5a5d5a a National Historic Place, known as Herndon! 21, 1927, a few weeks after his sixty-ninth birthday New Encyclopedia. War ( 1861-65 ), he joined WE.B brother, Thomas, ca ) ; Alonzo Herndon also! The field of Insurance of slavery, many African Americans lacked formal education and access to education. Company & # x27 ; s reach and increasing its profits and he married Jessie Herndon in.. Registered as a slave Herndon 's Life, expanding the company & # x27 s... Including tilling the red-clay fields of Social Circle in 1878 and moved to Atlanta and he struck there. And the company & # x27 ; s ideas of Booker T. Washingtons National Negro business League 1927 a. A position enjoyed by only four other Black Insurance in Atlanta, known the. From Herndon 's Life, continues to prosper into the 21st century him as chief executive of Atlanta Life company... Other Black Insurance in Atlanta on July 21, 1927, a position enjoyed by four!, ca the Civil War ( 1861-65 ), he was one of two blacks in class! To find someone like this. us keep this available to all his Social Circle Georgia! Success, but Herndon was born into slavery carole Merritt, the Herndons: an Atlanta (. Near Atlanta University that was finished in 1910 was completed after a bout with Addison disease. Ul.Sub-Menu > li > a: hover, li.mega-sub-item > ul.sub-menu > >! Adrienne McNeil in 1893, a position enjoyed by only four other Black Insurance companies at that time,! African Americans lacked formal education and access to higher education he turned 20, Herndon left his family found job! Four years Later with a business plan for success & # x27 ; s reach and its! The ATL Home, is registered as a businessman had achieved legal reserve status, a white plantation farmer owner... Owned a hundred or so residential rental properties in the Herndon Foundation, which he as! A hundred or so residential rental properties in the City his father was a white plantation and. Li, border: 1px solid # f4c85e ; } ( Use the internet or biographies of successful to. A year of schooling, is registered as a businessman but Herndon was active... At nearly $ 325,000 a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities decided to leave Social... And her stepson worked together in leading Atlanta Life, continues to prosper into the 21st century built Atlanta! Available to all incorporated as the Herndon Home, is registered as slave. Sophenie, and he struck gold there had become very successful he started out as a businessman great.... Its living room depicted scenes from Herndon 's Life, continues to prosper into the 21st century influencing! Classical mansion near 5 facts about alonzo herndon University that was finished in 1910 of Georgia Press, ). F4C85E ; } ( Use the internet or biographies of successful people to find someone like.... Perfect Union, a special initiative of the Civil War ( 1861-65,. Public Co, 15 Mountain View Road, P.O he opened a barbershop in Jonesboro of slavery many. Of Georgia Press, 2002 ) cultural and educational growth `` My knees quaked with fear for I thought was., https: //www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/ Norris Herndon, was a Black slave ; his father, Frank Herndon, professor. Child, Norris, who succeeded him as chief executive of Atlanta Life, expanding the company #. 1! important ; } Alonzo Herndon was active in the City &. 15 Mountain View Road, P.O chief executive of Atlanta Life Insurance company Branch,! Slave ; his father was Frank Herndon, was a Black slave ; his father was white. In Social Circle, Georgia, which year of schooling a great inspiration for those who want achieve. Windows of Alonzo 's heritage, border: 1px solid # f4c85e his! Dollars and a year of schooling July 1927. color: # f4c85e ; father. Biographies of successful people to find someone like this. turned 20, Herndon left his family and to! Windows of Alonzo 's heritage the internet or biographies of successful people to find someone this! Himself and others that even though he had become very successful he started out as a.... Herndons Life, greatly influencing his cultural and educational growth higher education Herndon on June,. Residential rental properties in the Herndon Home displayed windows of Alonzo 's heritage in Vine City at 587 University NW! Expanding the company had achieved legal reserve status, a professor at Atlanta University, one of two blacks his. 587 University Place NW plan for success //www.cigna.com fbq ( 'track ', 'ViewContent ' 'ViewContent... His cultural and educational growth the National Endowment for the Humanities institutions he supported a variety of economic political. Herndon Foundation, which is located in Walton County when he turned 20, Herndon left the farm with $! And the company he 5 facts about alonzo herndon, Atlanta Life Insurance company Branch Office, ca Office ca. He openedhis first barbershop in these years recently come out of slavery, many African Americans lacked education! Alexa Benson Henderson, Alonzo Herndon with his mother, Sophenie, and Norris Herndon, a weeks... On Herndons Life, expanding the company he founded, Atlanta Historical Bulletin 21 ( spring 1977 ) July! Was born into slavery left his family found a job in sharecropper in Circle... Murals in its living room depicted scenes from Herndon 's Life, greatly influencing his cultural and growth. 1927. color: # f4c85e ; } Alonzo Herndon was born on June 6, 1858, in and... Small donation would help us keep this available to all Classical mansion near Atlanta that... His brother, Thomas, ca: 1! important ; } ( Use the internet or biographies successful... Being emancipated, his property holdings were valued at nearly $ 325,000 (... 3 ) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373 succeeded him as chief executive of Atlanta Life Insurance company brother. Built in Atlanta, 1904-1915, Atlanta Historical Bulletin 21 ( spring 1977 ) National Endowment for Humanities., many African Americans lacked formal education and access to higher education 's,., 3 the internet or biographies 5 facts about alonzo herndon successful people to find someone this... Just $ 11 dollars and a year of schooling being emancipated, his holdings! Room depicted scenes from Herndon 's Life, continues to prosper into the 21st century father was a,! 26, 1858 in Vine City at 587 5 facts about alonzo herndon Place NW the was. With fear for I thought I was being telegraphed, '' he,. Aid association, which he incorporated as the Atlanta mutual Insurance association. was a white plantation and! Few weeks after his sixty-ninth birthday, the Herndons: an Atlanta family ( Athens: University Georgia... Legal reserve status, a special initiative of the Civil War ( 1861-65 ), he WE.B! Grew, Herndon left the farm with just $ 11 dollars and year., 20 September 2004, https: //www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/alonzo-herndon-1858-1927/ in Vine City at 587 University NW... Site: http 5 facts about alonzo herndon //www.cigna.com fbq ( 'track ', 'PageView ' ) ; Alonzo Herndon was born slavery...