obit - wealthiest negress dead
mrs. cj walker, known as new york's wealthiest negress, having accumulated a fortune from the sale of so-called anti-kink hair tonic and from real estate investments in the last 14 years, died yesterday morning at her country estate at irvington-on-hudson. she was proprietor of the madame walker hair dressing parlors at 108 west 136th street and other places in the city. her death recalled the unusual story of how she rose in twelve years from a washerwoman making only $1.50 a day to a position of wealth and influence among members of her race.
estimates of mrs. walker's fortune had run up to $1,000,000. she said herself two years ago that she was not yet a millionaire, but hoped to be some time, not that she wanted the money for herself, but for the good she could do with it. she spent $10,000 every year for the education of young negro men and women in southern colleges and sent six youths to tuskegee institute every year. she recently gave $5,000 to the national conference on lynching. born 51 years ago, she was married at 14, and was left a widow at 20 with a little girl to support. she worked as a cook, washerwoman, and the like until she had reached the age of about 37. one morning while bending over her wash she suddenly realized that there was no prospect on her meager wage of laying away anything for old age. she had often said that one night shortly afterward she had a dream and something told her to start a hair tonic business, which she did, in denver, colorado, on a capital of $1.25.
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