Prominent Women Codexery

Madam C. J. Walker

First self-made female millionaire in America

Last updated

Madam C. J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, was an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist.[1] According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Madam C. J. Walker is recognized as the first American woman to have earned a personal fortune exceeding $1,000,000 through her own efforts.[1][2] Walker's wealth came from creating and selling a range of cosmetics and hair care items aimed at Black women, which she did through her own company.[3]

Key facts and history

She married Moses McWilliams in 1882 to escape abuse from her brother-in-law.[4] Walker suffered severe dandruff and baldness, which inspired her to develop hair care products.[5][6] Walker trained thousands of women as sales agents and encouraged them to become financially independent.[7][8] In January 1906, she wed Charles Joseph Walker and subsequently adopted the professional name "Madam C. J. Walker".[9][6]

In 1910, she founded the Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company, setting up its headquarters in Indianapolis.[10][11]

What the cited sources add

The Indiana Historical Society notes that Walker was repeatedly referred to as a millionaire during the last few years of her life.[11] The Guinness World Records states her business had an annual revenue of over $500,000 at the time of her death.[2] The Philanthropy Roundtable account explains that Walker adopted "Madam" as a first name to preclude being called "Auntie" by whites.[12] The Biography.com article reports that Walker's mother died in 1874 and her father the following year, both due to unknown causes.[13]

The same source notes that Walker left one-third of her estate to her daughter and the remainder to charities.[13] The Indiana Historical Society notes that Walker supported African-American organizations in Indianapolis, including the Senate Avenue Young Men’s Christian Association and Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Madam C. J. Walker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "First self-made millionairess", Guinness World Records, May 25, 1919; "First self-made millionairess", Guinness World Records, May 25, 1919; Bundles, "Madam C.J. Walker: A Brief Biographical Essay", www.madamcjwalker.com, 2020; Gates Jr., "Madam Walker, the First Black American Woman to Be a Self-Made Millionaire", The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, November 15, 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. "First self-made millionairess", Guinness World Records, May 25, 1919. facts only, no text reused. guinnessworldrecords.com
  3. Wikipedia, "Madam C. J. Walker" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Madam C. J. Walker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bundles, "Madam C. J. (Sarah Breedlove) Walker, 1867–1919" in Black Women in America, v. II, p. 1209. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Madam C. J. Walker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Riquier, "Madam Walker Went from Laundress to Millionairess", Investor's Business Daily, February 15, 2015; Bundles, "On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker", Scribner, 2001; Ingham, "Walker, Madam C. J.", February 2000 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Bundles, "Madam C. J. Walker's Secrets to Success", Biography.com, February 24, 2015. facts only, no text reused. biography.com
  7. Wikipedia, "Madam C. J. Walker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Madam C. J. Walker", Indiana Historical Society; Gugin and Saint Clair, p. 361. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Madam C. J. Walker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Madam C. J. Walker", Indiana Historical Society (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Madam C. J. Walker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Beaugez, "How Madam C.J. Walker turned hardship into economic independence for Black women", Amplify The Sip, February 14, 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Madam C. J. Walker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gugin and Saint Clair, p. 361.; Ingham, "Walker, Madam C. J.", February 2000; Bundles, "Madam C J (Sarah Breedlove) Walker, 1867–1919" in Black Women in America, v. II, pp. 1210–11.; Bundles, "Madam C. J. Walker's Secrets to Success", Biography.com, February 24, 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  11. "Madam C. J. Walker", Indiana Historical Society. facts only, no text reused. indianahistory.org
  12. Klem, "Madam C. J. Walker", Philanthropy Roundtable, March 22, 2022. facts only, no text reused. philanthropyroundtable.org
  13. "Madam C. J. Walker Biography", Biography.com, November 12, 2021. facts only, no text reused. biography.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Madam C. J. Walker (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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