Johnson, George E.

1927–2017 · Contribution: 1954

Entrepreneur

Founder of Johnson Products Company and creator of the Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen Black hair-care lines; built the first Black-owned company listed on the American Stock Exchange (1971)

Business & Misc. — collage image
Business & Misc.

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Quick facts

Born
1927–2017
Category
Business & Misc.

Impact on the world

Johnson turned a $250 loan into the largest Black-owned corporation of its era and the first to trade on a major U.S. exchange, paired it with the nation's largest Black-owned bank, and created products that let Black beauty define itself on its own terms.

Sources

  1. Chicago Sun-Times

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