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{{Short description|American businessman (1865–1946)}} |
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'''Anthony Overton''' (March |
'''Anthony Overton Jr.''' (March 18, 1864 – July 2, 1946),<ref>https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3K6-Z51 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref> was an American banker and manufacturer. He was the first [[African American]] to lead a major business conglomerate.<ref name=HBS>Harvard Business School. American Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century: [http://www.hbs.edu/leadership/database/leaders/anthony_overton.html Anthony Overton]</ref> |
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Overton owned [[Overton Hygienic Company]], a successful home product and cosmetics firm.{{sfn|Mahoney|2001|p=70}} His publications included ''[[Half Century Magazine]]'' and then the ''[[Chicago Bee]]''.{{sfn|Mahoney|2001|p=70}} He also owned the Great Northern Realty Company, and the Victory Life Insurance Company.<ref name=HBS/> |
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==Oh wow people years== |
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| ⚫ | Anthony Overton, the son of Anthony and Martha Overton, was born in Monroe, Louisiana. |
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==Early years== |
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| ⚫ | Anthony Overton, the son of Anthony and Martha DeBerry Overton, was born in [[Monroe, Louisiana]]. There <ref>https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M87X-V2V {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref> his father operated a grocery and was elected to the Louisiana legislature, serving between 1871 and 1874. At some point before 1880, his family moved from Louisiana to [[Topeka, Kansas]].<ref>Hazel L. Briggs. "Hold Funeral Rights for Anthony Overton." ''Kansas City (KS) Plaindealer'', July 12, 1946, p. 1.</ref> His father had been born into slavery, and was among the slaves emancipated by [[Abraham Lincoln]].<ref>"Obituary: Anthony Overton Sr." ''(Lawrence KS) Western Recorder'', April 18, 1884, p.3.</ref> His father ultimately became a small business owner, and made sure young Anthony had greater opportunities. Anthony attended [[Washburn University|Washburn College]] in Topeka, and after graduating with a degree in Chemistry,<ref>"Anthony Overton Obituary." ''Chicago Bee'', July 14, 1946, p. 4.</ref> he studied law, earning his legal degree from the [[University of Kansas School of Law]] in 1888. He briefly worked as a lawyer, and became a judge in [[Shawnee, Kansas]].<ref>"Interesting People: From Peddler to Banker." ''Chicago Metro News'', August 20, 1988, p. 9.</ref> |
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==Business career== |
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In 1898, Overton established the [[Hygienic Manufacturing Company]], which produced goods for drug stores and groceries.<ref>"Hopeful Signs." ''(Topeka KS) Plaindealer'', June 20, 1900, p. 1.</ref> The products included [[High Brown Face Powder]], which was "the first market success in the sale of cosmetics for black women".<ref>Walker, p. 7.</ref> In 1911, he moved his business from Kansas to Chicago.<ref>"Good Banking Speaks for Itself." ''Chicago Courier'', November 15, 1975, p. 1</ref> Overton also opened a grocery store in Kansas City, Kansas by the late 1890s.<ref>"Kansas City." ''(Topeka KS) Plaindealer'', December 15, 1899, p. 1.</ref> |
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| ⚫ | In 1916 he established ''[[Half-Century Magazine]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/j.ctvxkn5wn|jstor=10.5406/j.ctvxkn5wn|doi=10.5406/j.ctvxkn5wn|title=The Merchant Prince of Black Chicago|year=2020|last1=Weems|first1=Robert E.|publisher=University of Illinois Press|isbn=9780252051920}}</ref> In 1923 he established the [[Douglass National Bank]], the second nationally chartered black-owned bank in the [[United States]].<ref>Lash, p. 189.</ref> He went on to develop a highly diverse conglomerate, including the [[Great Northern Realty Company]], and the [[Victory Life Insurance Company]]. In 1925, he founded the ''[[Chicago Bee]]'', a black newspaper known for its support of liberal causes. The newspaper was unusual because one of its managing editors was a woman, Olive M. Diggs.<ref>Lester E. Brown. "Anthony Overton: Man of Ideas." ''Chicago Bee'', July 14, 1946, p. 4.</ref> In 1927 The [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]] (NAACP) awarded him its [[Spingarn Medal]] for outstanding achievement by an African American. That same year, he was also given the prestigious [[William E. Harmon Foundation award for distinguished achievement among Negroes|Harmon award]]'s first award and Gold medal in Business. He was a member of [[Alpha Phi Alpha]] fraternity.<ref name = "JNHOVerton">''Journal of Negro History'', p. 394.</ref> In addition, there is [[Anthony Overton Elementary School|an elementary school]] in Chicago that is named after him.<ref>Lou Palmer. "Do You Know the Schools Named for Relevant Blacks?" ''Chicago Metro News'', January 28, 1978, p. 3.</ref> |
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After Overton's death in 1946, the ''Bee'' was briefly continued by his sons in a tabloid format.{{sfn|Trodd|2011|p=458}} It folded in 1947.{{sfn|Grant|Grant|2013|p=47}} |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{ |
{{Reflist}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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* "Anthony Overton". ''The Journal of Negro History'' (July 1947), Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 394–396. |
* "Anthony Overton". ''The Journal of Negro History'' (July 1947), Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 394–396. |
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* [http://www.issues-views.com/index.php/sect/1000/article/1006 "Anthony Overton: Born Entrepreneur"] |
* [http://www.issues-views.com/index.php/sect/1000/article/1006 "Anthony Overton: Born Entrepreneur"] |
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*{{Cite book |last1=Grant |first1=Carl A. |last2=Grant |first2=Shelby J. |title=The Moment: Barack Obama, Jeremiah Wright, and the Firestorm at Trinity United Church of Christ |
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| ⚫ | * Walker, Juliet E. K. (2010). "African American Women Business Enterprises: Since the Civil War to Civil Rights, 1865–1964" |
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|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1442219971|isbn=978-1442219977 |
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|year=2013|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield }} |
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*{{Cite book |last=Mahoney |first=Olivia |title=Douglas/Grand Boulevard: A Chicago Neighborhood |
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|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0738518557 |isbn=0738518557 |year=2001 |publisher=Arcadia }} |
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110112132335/http://www.blackherstory.org/pdf/1st%20Quarter%202010.pdf "Thirteenth Annual Conference and Awards Banquet"] ''The Herstorian Newsletter'', Volume 3, Issue 2. |
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*{{Cite book |last=Trodd |first=Zoe |title=Writers of the Black Chicago Renaissance |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0252093429 |isbn=978-0252093425 |editor-last=Tracy |year=2011 |editor-first=Steven C. |chapter=The Black Press and the Black Chicago Renaissance|publisher=University of Illinois Press }} |
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{{Spingarn Medal}} |
{{Spingarn Medal}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Overton, Anthony}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Overton, Anthony}} |
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[[Category:1865 births]] |
[[Category:1865 births]] |
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[[Category:1946 deaths]] |
[[Category:1946 deaths]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:19th-century African-American businesspeople]] |
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[[Category:American bankers]] |
[[Category:American bankers]] |
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[[Category:Washburn University alumni]] |
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[[Category:University of Kansas School of Law alumni]] |
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[[Category:African-American bankers]] |
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Latest revision as of 07:47, 24 August 2024
Anthony Overton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 21, 1865 |
| Died | July 2, 1946 (aged 81) |
Anthony Overton Jr. (March 18, 1864 – July 2, 1946),[1] was an American banker and manufacturer. He was the first African American to lead a major business conglomerate.[2]
Overton owned Overton Hygienic Company, a successful home product and cosmetics firm.[3] His publications included Half Century Magazine and then the Chicago Bee.[3] He also owned the Great Northern Realty Company, and the Victory Life Insurance Company.[2]
Early years
[edit]Anthony Overton, the son of Anthony and Martha DeBerry Overton, was born in Monroe, Louisiana. There [4] his father operated a grocery and was elected to the Louisiana legislature, serving between 1871 and 1874. At some point before 1880, his family moved from Louisiana to Topeka, Kansas.[5] His father had been born into slavery, and was among the slaves emancipated by Abraham Lincoln.[6] His father ultimately became a small business owner, and made sure young Anthony had greater opportunities. Anthony attended Washburn College in Topeka, and after graduating with a degree in Chemistry,[7] he studied law, earning his legal degree from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1888. He briefly worked as a lawyer, and became a judge in Shawnee, Kansas.[8]
Business career
[edit]In 1898, Overton established the Hygienic Manufacturing Company, which produced goods for drug stores and groceries.[9] The products included High Brown Face Powder, which was "the first market success in the sale of cosmetics for black women".[10] In 1911, he moved his business from Kansas to Chicago.[11] Overton also opened a grocery store in Kansas City, Kansas by the late 1890s.[12]
In 1916 he established Half-Century Magazine.[13] In 1923 he established the Douglass National Bank, the second nationally chartered black-owned bank in the United States.[14] He went on to develop a highly diverse conglomerate, including the Great Northern Realty Company, and the Victory Life Insurance Company. In 1925, he founded the Chicago Bee, a black newspaper known for its support of liberal causes. The newspaper was unusual because one of its managing editors was a woman, Olive M. Diggs.[15] In 1927 The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) awarded him its Spingarn Medal for outstanding achievement by an African American. That same year, he was also given the prestigious Harmon award's first award and Gold medal in Business. He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[16] In addition, there is an elementary school in Chicago that is named after him.[17]
After Overton's death in 1946, the Bee was briefly continued by his sons in a tabloid format.[18] It folded in 1947.[19]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3K6-Z51 [bare URL]
- ^ a b Harvard Business School. American Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century: Anthony Overton
- ^ a b Mahoney 2001, p. 70.
- ^ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M87X-V2V [bare URL]
- ^ Hazel L. Briggs. "Hold Funeral Rights for Anthony Overton." Kansas City (KS) Plaindealer, July 12, 1946, p. 1.
- ^ "Obituary: Anthony Overton Sr." (Lawrence KS) Western Recorder, April 18, 1884, p.3.
- ^ "Anthony Overton Obituary." Chicago Bee, July 14, 1946, p. 4.
- ^ "Interesting People: From Peddler to Banker." Chicago Metro News, August 20, 1988, p. 9.
- ^ "Hopeful Signs." (Topeka KS) Plaindealer, June 20, 1900, p. 1.
- ^ Walker, p. 7.
- ^ "Good Banking Speaks for Itself." Chicago Courier, November 15, 1975, p. 1
- ^ "Kansas City." (Topeka KS) Plaindealer, December 15, 1899, p. 1.
- ^ Weems, Robert E. (2020). The Merchant Prince of Black Chicago. University of Illinois Press. doi:10.5406/j.ctvxkn5wn. ISBN 9780252051920. JSTOR 10.5406/j.ctvxkn5wn.
- ^ Lash, p. 189.
- ^ Lester E. Brown. "Anthony Overton: Man of Ideas." Chicago Bee, July 14, 1946, p. 4.
- ^ Journal of Negro History, p. 394.
- ^ Lou Palmer. "Do You Know the Schools Named for Relevant Blacks?" Chicago Metro News, January 28, 1978, p. 3.
- ^ Trodd 2011, p. 458.
- ^ Grant & Grant 2013, p. 47.
References
[edit]- "Anthony Overton". The Journal of Negro History (July 1947), Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 394–396.
- "Anthony Overton: Born Entrepreneur"
- Grant, Carl A.; Grant, Shelby J. (2013). The Moment: Barack Obama, Jeremiah Wright, and the Firestorm at Trinity United Church of Christ. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1442219977.
- Lash, Nicholas A. (2005), "Black-owned banks: A survey of the issues", Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 187–202.
- Mahoney, Olivia (2001). Douglas/Grand Boulevard: A Chicago Neighborhood. Arcadia. ISBN 0738518557.
- "Thirteenth Annual Conference and Awards Banquet" The Herstorian Newsletter, Volume 3, Issue 2.
- Trodd, Zoe (2011). "The Black Press and the Black Chicago Renaissance". In Tracy, Steven C. (ed.). Writers of the Black Chicago Renaissance. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0252093425.
- Walker, Juliet E. K. (2010). "African American Women Business Enterprises: Since the Civil War to Civil Rights, 1865–1964".
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