Madam C. J. Walker, 1867–1919, is said to be the first American female millionaire of African descent. This daughter of former slaves was born Sarah Breedlove in the town of Delta, Louisiana. . Her parents were both dead by the time she was seven years old, she had gone to work by age ten, and was married by age fourteen. By age twenty, she was already a widow and the mother of a small daughter.

She moved to St. Louis and worked for a time as a domestic servant, then later as a laundress. She also sold hair-care products. In the first years of the new century, she began to lose her hair. In what little spare time she had, she experimented with a hair ointment and a system designed to stop hair loss in African-American women. The "Walker system," as it was later called, combined scalp preparation, various lotions, and the use of iron combs that not only kept hair from falling out, but also left the hair smooth and shiny.

A Successful Door-to-Door Enterprise

In 1906 she moved to Denver, Colorado, and married journalist Charles J. Walker. She then took the name Madam C. J. Walker as her professional name. She added a number of products to her line, the most notable of which was the “pressing comb.” The Walkers began selling the hair care products door-to-door, and were so successful they were able to hire a group of saleswomen. They also opened stores and started a beauty college.

Walker's lectures and hair care demonstrations won the following of many thousands of customers. Part of Walker's success can be attributed to the fact that she was able to differentiate her products from the hair straightening systems marketed by white cosmetic firms. Walker was forceful in her arguments that her treatment system was created especially to serve the special health needs of African-Americans.

In 1910, the Walkers moved their factory to Indianapolis. Eventually, Madam Walker had a staff of more than 3,000 employees, most of whom were door-to-door saleswomen. The Walkers separated soon after, and Madam Walker moved to Harlem. In the 1920s, after her daughter had taken over the company, it became one of the centers for the "Harlem Renaissance."

Philanthropy

Madam Walker set up a network of clubs for her sales force and provided bonuses and other funds to those who did charitable work in their home communities. She funded scholarships for female students at Tuskegee Institute and contributed to the NAACP, the YMCA, and to many charities dedicated to helping the African-American community.