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Anthony Overton Jr. (March 18, 1864 – July 2, 1946), was an American banker and manufacturer. He was the first African American to lead a major business conglomerate.Harvard Business School. American Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century: Anthony Overton
Overton owned Overton Hygienic Company, a successful home product and cosmetics firm. His publications included Half Century Magazine and then the Chicago Bee. He also owned the Great Northern Realty Company, and the Victory Life Insurance Company.
In 1916 he established Half-Century Magazine. In 1923 he established the Douglass National Bank, the second nationally chartered black-owned bank in the United States.Lash, p. 189. 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.Lester E. Brown. "Anthony Overton: Man of Ideas." Chicago Bee, July 14, 1946, p. 4. 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. Journal of Negro History, p. 394. In addition, there is an elementary school in Chicago that is named after him.Lou Palmer. "Do You Know the Schools Named for Relevant Blacks?" Chicago Metro News, January 28, 1978, p. 3.
After Overton's death in 1946, the Bee was briefly continued by his sons in a tabloid format. It folded in 1947.
Early years
Anthony Overton, the son of Anthony and Martha DeBerry Overton, was born in Monroe, Louisiana. There 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.Hazel L. Briggs. "Hold Funeral Rights for Anthony Overton." Kansas City (KS) Plaindealer, July 12, 1946, p. 1. His father had been born into slavery, and was among the slaves emancipated by Abraham Lincoln."Obituary: Anthony Overton Sr." (Lawrence KS) Western Recorder, April 18, 1884, p.3. 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,"Anthony Overton Obituary." Chicago Bee, July 14, 1946, p. 4. 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."Interesting People: From Peddler to Banker." Chicago Metro News, August 20, 1988, p. 9.
Business career
In 1898, Overton established the Hygienic Manufacturing Company, which produced goods for drug stores and groceries."Hopeful Signs." (Topeka KS) Plaindealer, June 20, 1900, p. 1. The products included High Brown Face Powder, which was "the first market success in the sale of cosmetics for black women".Walker, p. 7. In 1911, he moved his business from Kansas to Chicago."Good Banking Speaks for Itself." Chicago Courier, November 15, 1975, p. 1 Overton also opened a grocery store in Kansas City, Kansas by the late 1890s."Kansas City." (Topeka KS) Plaindealer, December 15, 1899, p. 1.
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