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Tuesday, February 27, 2007 | 4:38pm
African American History Person of the Day: Ms. Walker
Madam C.J. Walker or Madame Charles Joseph Walker (December 23, 1867–May 25, 1919), was an African American philanthropist and tycoon. Madame Walker was a St. Louis washerwoman-turned-entrepreneur. Walker invented a method to soften and smooth African American hair in 1905. She became interested in a hair tonic while trying to treat a scalp ailment that [...]
Madam C.J. Walker or Madame Charles Joseph Walker (December 23, 1867–May 25, 1919), was an African American philanthropist and tycoon. Madame Walker was a St. Louis washerwoman-turned-entrepreneur. Walker invented a method to soften and smooth African American hair in 1905. She became interested in a hair tonic while trying to treat a scalp ailment that left her temporarily bald. In 1905, Sarah moved to Denver, Colorado, working as a hair tonic sales agent for Annie Malone, another black woman entrepreneur. She married her third husband, Charles Joseph Walker, a St. Louis newspaperman, changed her name to “Madam” C.J. Walker, and founded the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company to sell hair care products and cosmetics. By 1917, it was the largest business in the United States owned by an African American. The Guinness Book of Records cites Walker as the first female American self-made millionaire.
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