Alonzo Herndon became the most wealthy African American in Atlanta, 1927. He was a barber and entrepreneur of Atlanta Life Insurance Company. His life before his success was not as pleasent. He was born a slave on June 26, 1858, in Walton County Georgia. His dad being his white master to him and his mom. When Herndon was seven years old he, his mother, and brother were freed and became involved in sharecropping To help his poor family out he worked very hard and had many different jobs along the way. When he had a good amount of money he opened a barber shop for blacks with a friend. It was a success and he opened three more barber shops in Atlanta. He was good at making investments and this is one of the main reasons that he became rich. …show more content…
He paid $140 for a small burial association. It later became the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. This is how Herndon became a millionaire. More specifically, Atlanta’s first black millionaire. After this, Herndon continued helping other failing black companies, such as the YMCA. He was a selected member to National Negro Business League meeting to organize the Niagara movement. Although, Herndon was wealthy and successful he was still affected by racism. Angry mobs smashed the windows to his barbershop in riots. He donated to local institutions and supported commercial activities. He married Adrienne Elizabeth McNeil, a professor at Atlanta