George E. Johnson Sr.

George Ellis Johnson Sr. (born June 12, 1927) is an American businessman and entrepreneur. Johnson the founder of Johnson Products Company, an international cosmetics empire headquartered in Chicago, Illinois which created products such as Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen.[1][2][3][4]

For other people named George Johnson, see George Johnson (disambiguation).
George E. Johnson Sr.
Born (1927-06-12) June 12, 1927
Richton, Mississippi, U.S.
Alma materWendell Phillips High School
(attended)
Occupation
  • Businessman
  • entrepreneur
Years active1954–present
Known for
Spouse(s)
Joan Henderson
​
​
(m. 1950; died 2019)​
Children4
Websitejohnsonproducts.com
Signature

Biography

Early life

Johnson was born in Richton, Mississippi, in a three-room sharecropper's shack.[5] as When he was two, he moved to Chicago with his mother, Priscilla, after his parents had separated. At the age of eight, while attending Doolittle Elementary School, Johnson also started work as a shoe shine boy. Johnson later attended Wendell Phillips High School but dropped out to work full-time jobs.[6] During the day he was a bus boy and in the evenings he set pins at a local bowling alley.[7] In 1944, Johnson took a job working for Samuel B. Fuller, who owned a cosmetics firm, as a production chemist.

Entrepreneurship

In 1954, at the encouragement of co-worker, Johnson left the Fuller company and founded Johnson Products with his wife Joan,[8] focusing on the African American male hair care market. Johnson borrowed $250 from a bank and another $250 from a friend to finance the venture.[5] The company's first product was Ultra Wave, a hair relaxer for men. In 1957, Ultra Sheen, a revolutionary hair straightener that could easily be used in the home, was introduced for women.

During the next quarter century, more product lines were introduced like Afro Sheen.[5] Afro-Sheen, one of Johnson's best-known products, was released in the late 1960s, at a time when the "Afro" became a popular hairstyle for African Americans. Over the next few decades, Johnson Products continued to grow, focusing its efforts on not only its products line but on training cosmetologists on the proper usage as well. In 1964, Johnson founded Independence Bank, and during the 1970s he became the exclusive sponsor behind the nationally syndicated dance show Soul Train. In 1971, Johnson Products became the first African American-owned company to be listed on the American Stock Exchange.[5] That same year, Johnson became the first African American to serve on the board of directors of Commonwealth Edison.

Personal

Johnson was married to Joan Betty Henderson, whom he met while they were students at Phillips High School. Johnson and Henderson were married from May 1950 until her death in September 2019 at age 89. Together they had four children; Eric, Joan, John and George E. Johnson Jr.[9][10]

Awards and honors

Johnson received the Horatio Alger Award in 1981.[11] and the Babson Medal in 1983[12] Johnson received an honorary Doctor of Commercial Science degree from College of the Holy Cross in 1975 and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Babson College in 1976.[13]

A short documentary on George E. Johnson Sr. and the Johnson Products Company was produced by The Czar of Black Hollywood director Bayer Mack and released by Block Starz Music Television as part of its Profiles of African-American Success video series. Johnson is also featured in the 2019 documentary, No Lye: An American Beauty Story, that chronicles the rise and decline of the black-owned ethnic beauty industry.[14][15][16]

References
  1. The Chicago Freedom Movement: Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights ... (edited by Mary Lou Finley, Bernard LaFayette Jr., James R. Ralph Jr., Pam Smith).Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  2. RetroFan #3 (edited by Michael Eury).Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  3. Jet, Nov 12, 2001.Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  4. Black Enterprise, June 1973.Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  5. "The Father of Hair Care". Johnson Products. Archived from the original on March 31, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
  6. "George Johnson Biography. Interview December 18, 2003". The History Makers. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
  7. "June 16". The African American Registry. Archived from the original on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
  8. McCoy, Frank (May 1, 1992). "Johnson Products Co. regroups after a family row". Black Enterprise. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
  9. Chicago Defender, In Memoriam, Joan B. Johnson (16 October 1929; 6 September 2019).Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  10. Chicago Sun-Times, Joan Johnson, co-founder of trailblazing black hair care company, dies at 89, Launched in 1954 with her husband, Johnson Products would become the first black-owned company traded on the American Stock Exchange.Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  11. Members Archived May 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine horatioalger.com
  12. General Awards babson.edu
  13. Honorary Degrees Archived August 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine babson.edu
  14. "Johnson Products, 1st Black Co. on American Stock Exchange, New Documentary Short". HuffPost. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  15. "Big, Black and Beautiful: Johnson Products". AASuccess.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  16. "EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! 'NO LYE: AN AMERICAN BEAUTY STORY' GIVES EXCELLENT HISTORY LESSON". EURweb.com. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
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