George E. Johnson, who redefined African American style and culture while leading a revolution in Black-owned business, has died at his Chicago home at the age of 99.
Johnson started working at a Black-owned cosmetics company called Fuller Products when he was just 18. When a prominent local barber pitched him the idea of a hair straightener that wouldn’t burn the scalp, Johnson and chemist Herbert Martini offered to develop the product for Fuller, but the company passed.
Undaunted, Johnson founded his company with a $250 loan from a bank that had turned him down at one branch but gave him the money when he told a second loan officer that he needed it to pay for a California vacation with his wife.
“I never thought about going into business, but when he said this is it, I thought this should be marketed…we should market this,” Johnson told Dr. Hermene Hartman on her PBS show N’Digo Studio.
In his 1997 memoir, “Afro-Sheen: How I Revolutionized an Industry with the Golden Rule, from ‘Soul Train’ to Wall Street,” Johnson described how he marketed his products through the popular TV dance program and through magazine ads that portrayed African Americans in a positive light.
“I just paid no attention to what the competitors were doing, and believe me, that was the right method,” Johnson said.
By 1971, Johnson Products company became the first African American-owned business to trade on the American Stock Exchange. By 1974, annual sales were $34 million.
Along the way, Johnson also took a deep interest in his community. He was an early financial supporter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.
He also was an early investor in Essence magazine. When the publication was struggling for cash, he pre-paid for his company’s ads two and three years in advance helping it pull through.
His family released a statement Monday saying:
“George’s vision extended well beyond haircare. For George, entrepreneurship was never about simply building a successful business. He truly believed business could be a force for good, creating opportunity, strengthening communities, opening doors for others, and demonstrating that success carries with it a responsibility to serve.”
The George E. Johnson Educational Fund continued that spirit of giving, having awarded more than 1,000 college scholarships.
“His greatest joy in life was not found in the businesses he built or the milestones achieved but in the people he loved.,” his family said.
George E. Johnson stepped down from as chairman and CEO of Johnson Products in 1988. The company was sold and eventually was owned by consumer goods giant Proctor & Gamble before the company was purchased by a group of investors.
In addition to his second wife, Madeline Rabb, Johnson is survived by his sons John Edward Johnson, Eric George Johnson and George “Petey” Ellis Johnson Jr.; his daughter, Joan Marie Johnson; and a number of grandchildren.
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