A'Lelia Walker
Encyclopedia
A'Lelia Walker was an American
businesswoman
and patron of the arts. She was the daughter and only child of self-made millionaire Madam C.J. Walker.
, the daughter of Moses McWilliams and Sarah Breedlove (later known as Madam C. J. Walker). Her father died when she was three years old. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri
and attended the city's public schools during the 1890s. She changed her last name to that of her mother and stepfather, Charles Joseph Walker, a few years after attending Knoxville College
in Tennessee
. In the early 1920s, she changed her first name to "A'Lelia."
In 1919, she inherited her mother's hair care
and beauty empire, the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company.
She was known for her lavish clothing and glamorous lifestyle. Her life inspired singers, poets, and sculptors of the Harlem Renaissance
. Langston Hughes
called her the "joy goddess of Harlem's 1920s" because of her very interesting parties and guests; Zora Neale Hurston
outlined a play about her and her mother; and Carl Van Vechten
based his Nigger Heaven
character, Adora Boniface, on her. Several Harlem Renaissance era novels include characters inspired by or based upon her.
(Langston Hughes, "The Big Sea" [1940]). She also entertained at Villa Lewaro
, her country house in Westchester County and at her pied-a-terre at 80 Edgecomb Avenue in Harlem.
Villa Lewaro was named for Walker (LElia WAlker RObinson) after Italian tenor Enrico Caruso said to her mother that the newly-built Irvington-on-Hudson mansion reminded him of the houses of his native country.
Walker was a patron of the arts who, despite her impoverished childhood, was surrounded by accomplished African American musicians and developed an early love of classical music and opera. She grew up in the neighborhood where Scott Joplin and other ragtime musicians gathered at Tom Turpin's Rosebud Cafe on St. Louis
's Market Street.
She had no biological children, but in 1912 she adopted Fairy Mae Bryant (1898–1945), who became known as Mae Walker, who traveled with Madam C. J. Walker as a model and assistant. In November 1923, A'Lelia Walker orchestrated an elaborate "Million Dollar Wedding" for Mae's marriage to Dr. Gordon Jackson. Mae Walker, a graduate of Spelman Seminary
in Atlanta
, divorced Jackson in 1926 and married Attorney Marion R. Perry in September 1927.
, the same ailment that led to her mother's death in 1919. She was surrounded by friends who had traveled to Long Branch, New Jersey
to celebrate a friend's birthday party with lobster and champagne in the midst of the Great Depression
and Prohibition
.
Thousands of Harlemites lined up to view her body. As her casket was lowered into the ground next to her mother's grave at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, Herbert Julian—the celebrated "Black Eagle"—flew over in a small plane and dropped dahlias and gladiolas onto the site.
A'Lelia Walker traveled extensively throughout the United States as well as to Cuba and Panama. From November 1921 to May 1922, she visited Paris, London (where she visited Covent Garden), Rome (where she witnessed a papal coronation), Monte Carlo, Cairo, Jerusalem and Addis Ababa (where she met Empress Zauditu.)
. Increased expenses associated with a new million dollar headquarters and manufacturing facility opened in late 1927 in Indianapolis, Indiana
, placed additional financial pressure on the operation. Today the building is known as the Madam Walker Theatre Center and is a National Historic Landmark.
Mae Walker was president of the company from 1931 until her death in 1945. Mae's daughter, A'Lelia Mae Perry Bundles (1928–1976), succeeded her mother as president of the company. A'Lelia Mae Perry Bundles's daughter, A'Lelia Bundles
, (1952- ) is an author and journalist as well as Madam Walker's biographer.
The Madam C. J. Walker Company moved from the building in 1985 and the trustees of the Walker estate transferred the building to a non-profit group called the Madam Walker Urban Life Center. Today the building houses a cultural arts organization, is the anchor of the Indiana Avenue Cultural District and is known as the Madame Walker Theatre Center. Its current president is Dr. Terry Whitt Bailey.
A'Lelia Bundles
Madame Walker Theatre Center
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businesswoman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
and patron of the arts. She was the daughter and only child of self-made millionaire Madam C.J. Walker.
Early life
She was born Lelia McWilliams in Vicksburg, MississippiVicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
, the daughter of Moses McWilliams and Sarah Breedlove (later known as Madam C. J. Walker). Her father died when she was three years old. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
and attended the city's public schools during the 1890s. She changed her last name to that of her mother and stepfather, Charles Joseph Walker, a few years after attending Knoxville College
Knoxville College
Knoxville College is a historically black liberal arts college in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Founded in 1875 by the United Presbyterian Church of North America, the school has an enrollment of approximately 100 students, and offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Studies and an Associate...
in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. In the early 1920s, she changed her first name to "A'Lelia."
In 1919, she inherited her mother's hair care
Hair care
Hair care is an overall term for parts of hygiene and cosmetology involving the hair on the human head. Hair care will differ according to one's hair type and according to various processes that can be applied to hair...
and beauty empire, the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company.
She was known for her lavish clothing and glamorous lifestyle. Her life inspired singers, poets, and sculptors of the Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
. Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
called her the "joy goddess of Harlem's 1920s" because of her very interesting parties and guests; Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance...
outlined a play about her and her mother; and Carl Van Vechten
Carl van Vechten
Carl Van Vechten was an American writer and photographer who was a patron of the Harlem Renaissance and the literary executor of Gertrude Stein.-Biography:...
based his Nigger Heaven
Nigger Heaven
Nigger Heaven is a 1926 novel written by Carl Van Vechten, set during the Harlem Renaissance in the United States in the 1920s. The book and its title have been controversial since its publication....
character, Adora Boniface, on her. Several Harlem Renaissance era novels include characters inspired by or based upon her.
Arts patron
During the 1920s she hosted many painters, sculptors, writers, musicians, and actors of the Harlem Renaissance at "The Dark Tower," which was part literary gathering place, part nightclub. It was a converted floor of her 136th Street townhouse near Lenox Avenue that was designed by Paul Frankl(Langston Hughes, "The Big Sea" [1940]). She also entertained at Villa Lewaro
Villa Lewaro
Villa Lewaro, also known as the Anne E. Poth Home, is located at Fargo Lane and North Broadway in Irvington, New York. It was the home of Madam C. J. Walker from 1918 to 1919. She is believed to be the first American female and first African-American female, self-made millionaire...
, her country house in Westchester County and at her pied-a-terre at 80 Edgecomb Avenue in Harlem.
Villa Lewaro was named for Walker (LElia WAlker RObinson) after Italian tenor Enrico Caruso said to her mother that the newly-built Irvington-on-Hudson mansion reminded him of the houses of his native country.
Walker was a patron of the arts who, despite her impoverished childhood, was surrounded by accomplished African American musicians and developed an early love of classical music and opera. She grew up in the neighborhood where Scott Joplin and other ragtime musicians gathered at Tom Turpin's Rosebud Cafe on St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
's Market Street.
Personal life
She married 3 times: to John Robinson, a hotel waiter, whom she divorced in 1914; to Dr. Wiley Wilson in 1919; and to Dr. James Arthur Kennedy, in 1926 until just a few months before her death in 1931.She had no biological children, but in 1912 she adopted Fairy Mae Bryant (1898–1945), who became known as Mae Walker, who traveled with Madam C. J. Walker as a model and assistant. In November 1923, A'Lelia Walker orchestrated an elaborate "Million Dollar Wedding" for Mae's marriage to Dr. Gordon Jackson. Mae Walker, a graduate of Spelman Seminary
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, divorced Jackson in 1926 and married Attorney Marion R. Perry in September 1927.
Life and legacy
A'Lelia Walker died on August 17, 1931 of a cerebral hemorrhage brought on by hypertensionHypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
, the same ailment that led to her mother's death in 1919. She was surrounded by friends who had traveled to Long Branch, New Jersey
Long Branch, New Jersey
Long Branch is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 30,719.Long Branch was formed on April 11, 1867, as the Long Branch Commission, from portions of Ocean Township...
to celebrate a friend's birthday party with lobster and champagne in the midst of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
.
Thousands of Harlemites lined up to view her body. As her casket was lowered into the ground next to her mother's grave at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, Herbert Julian—the celebrated "Black Eagle"—flew over in a small plane and dropped dahlias and gladiolas onto the site.
A'Lelia Walker traveled extensively throughout the United States as well as to Cuba and Panama. From November 1921 to May 1922, she visited Paris, London (where she visited Covent Garden), Rome (where she witnessed a papal coronation), Monte Carlo, Cairo, Jerusalem and Addis Ababa (where she met Empress Zauditu.)
Madam C.J. Walker Building in Indianapolis
Walker Company sales began to suffer in 1929, with the beginning of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Increased expenses associated with a new million dollar headquarters and manufacturing facility opened in late 1927 in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, placed additional financial pressure on the operation. Today the building is known as the Madam Walker Theatre Center and is a National Historic Landmark.
Mae Walker was president of the company from 1931 until her death in 1945. Mae's daughter, A'Lelia Mae Perry Bundles (1928–1976), succeeded her mother as president of the company. A'Lelia Mae Perry Bundles's daughter, A'Lelia Bundles
A'Lelia Bundles
A'Lelia Bundles is an African American journalist.-Family and early life:Bundles grew up in Indianapolis in a family of civic minded business executives. Her great-great-grandmother was the hair care entrepreneur Madam C. J. Walker , and her great-grandmother and namesake was A'Lelia Walker , a...
, (1952- ) is an author and journalist as well as Madam Walker's biographer.
The Madam C. J. Walker Company moved from the building in 1985 and the trustees of the Walker estate transferred the building to a non-profit group called the Madam Walker Urban Life Center. Today the building houses a cultural arts organization, is the anchor of the Indiana Avenue Cultural District and is known as the Madame Walker Theatre Center. Its current president is Dr. Terry Whitt Bailey.
See also
Madam C. J. WalkerA'Lelia Bundles
A'Lelia Bundles
A'Lelia Bundles is an African American journalist.-Family and early life:Bundles grew up in Indianapolis in a family of civic minded business executives. Her great-great-grandmother was the hair care entrepreneur Madam C. J. Walker , and her great-grandmother and namesake was A'Lelia Walker , a...
Madame Walker Theatre Center
Madame Walker Theatre Center
The historic Madame C.J. Walker Building, which houses the Madame Walker Theatre Center, has long symbolized the spirit of creativity and community pride in the City of Indianapolis. Named after America’s first self-made female millionaire, Madam C.J. Walker, the site represents the achievements,...
External links
- http://www.madamcjwalker.com/bio_alelia_walker.aspx A'Lelia Walker Bio
- http://www.madamcjwalker.com/ Madam C.J. Walker Official Website A'Lelia Walker Biographical Information
- http://aleliawalker.wordpress.com/ A'Lelia Walker Photos and Harlem Renaissance Memorabilia
- https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/ALelia-Walker-Joy-Goddess-of-Harlems-1920s/110049512355229?sk=wall A'Lelia Walker Joy Goddess