Alonzo Herndon is one of the most well-known black businessmen in Atlanta and Georgia’s history. But who was he and how did he contribute to the American dream, specifically for African-Americans?
Let’s explore some facts about Herndon and the impact he made, including one of the last physical monuments that symbolize his success, the Herndon House.
Where Is The Herndon House Located?
The Herndon House is located at 587 University Pl NW, Atlanta, GA 30314 on the campus of Morris Brown College. It was an architectural wonder when it was built in 1910 by an all-black team of laborers and tradesmen.
Here’s a map to help you find it.
Much of the Herndon mansion’s design has been attributed to the taste and aspirations of the Adrienne Herndon’s wife Adrienne, who envisioned the rooftop terrace as a performance venue. She was a drama teacher at Atlanta University at the time.
It is one of a few structures associated with Herndon in Atlanta and the success he brought to the city. Another structure on Morris Brown’s campus is Alonzo Herndon Stadium, an old 15,011-seat stadium that was once used for sports events at the school.
Who Was Alonzo Herndon And Why Is He Important?
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. One of Herndon’s most lasting contributions includes his role in establishing the United Negro College Fund.
Where Was Alonzo Herndon Born And Raised?
Alonzo Franklin Herndon was born on June 6, 1858, in Social Circle, Georgia, which is located in Walton County. Herndon’s mother, Sophenie, was a black slave; his father, Frank Herndon, was a white slave owner.
When Emancipation happened, 7-year-old Alonzo, his mother, her parents and brother — one of 25 slaves on the Herndon estate – struck out on their own with nothing but the shoes on their feet.
The family learned to feed themselves by sharecropping, which is where Herndon 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.
What Trade Did Alonzo Herndon Learn?
Herndon launched a business with only a formal education, but he was determined to make it. Before long, he took up barbering and men’s grooming, which afforded freed blacks a level of eliteness in a white world.
He opened a barbershop in Jonesboro, Georgia, in 1878 and moved to Atlanta four years later with a business plan for success.
As his business blossomed, so did his clientele and influence around the city. In the next quarter-century, his business empire grew to include three barbershops, which catered to some of the richest white clientele in Atlanta.
After some years, Herndon decided to get in on the insurance business. He soon founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, where he served as president.
What Was the Atlanta Life Insurance Company?
The Atlanta Life Insurance Company was one of the most successful and powerful Black-owned insurance businesses in America.
In 1905, Herndon bought the business, then named the Atlanta Benevolent and Protective Association, and renamed it the Atlanta Life Insurance Company.
Herndon didn’t 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.
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.
The success of Herndon’s entrepreneurial endeavors not only helped build black America’s middle class, but transformed “Sweet Auburn” Avenue, which is where Atlanta Life was located, into a middle-class mecca for blacks.
Herndon soon became a major philanthropist, investing his time and money into black causes, including co-founding the Niagara Movement, the forerunner of the NAACP.
How Much Money Did Alonzo Herndon Make?
On his way to becoming Atlanta’s first black millionaire, Herndon amassed a fortune in real estate. In 1905, his property holdings were valued at nearly $325,000. His insurance business reported more than $400,000 in assets in 1922. At one point, Herndon was the wealthiest African-American in Atlanta.
What Is The Herndon Foundation?
Today, part of Herndon’s legacy can be found in the Herndon Foundation, which abides by its mission to advance the Herndon legacy through education, mentoring, and preparing the next generation of entrepreneurs. Learn more about the foundation.
Final Thoughts
After Herndon’s death in 1927, his son, Norris B. Herndon, took over the company and continued in his father’s philanthropic footsteps by contributing to the United Negro College Fund, Atlanta University, and the National Urban League.
As for Atlanta LIfe, it exists today as Atlanta Life Financial Group, located at 191 Peachtree St #2500, Atlanta, GA 30303.
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