From the Archives: 1976 — George E. Johnson, Sr.

The Executive Committee of The Chicago Community Trust is made up of civic leaders from the Chicago region. They provide strategic counsel to ensure the Trust is on track to achieve our mission. One such leader was George E. Johnson, Sr.—one of the most prominent businessmen in Chicago—who began his tenure as the Trust’s first Black Executive Committee member in 1976.  

Rising from humble beginnings and born in a sharecropper shack in Mississippi, Johnson, Sr. moved to Chicago with his mother when he was two. In 1944, at the age of 17, he began working for the Black-owned cosmetics firm S.B. Fuller. A decade later, he co-founded his own company, Johnson Products, with the goal of creating hair care specifically for Black consumers.  

The company’s breakthrough came with the creation of Ultra Sheen in 1957, a hair straightener for Black women. In just six years, Johnson Products was dominating nearly 80% of the Black hair care market and created 42,000 jobs for Black individuals.  

The company adapted to the growing popularity of natural Black hair styles and the rise of the Black Power movement in the 1960s to create Afro Sheen, their most successful product. Johnson Products also sponsored the popular show Soul Train, becoming the first Black company to sponsor a national television program and helping the program grow into an icon in Black entertainment.  

Sponsoring the hit TV show Soul Train was a wildly successful investment for George E. Johnson, Sr.  

By 1970, the company grew to post annual sales of $12.6 million—and in 1971, Johnson Products became the first Black-owned company to trade on the American Stock Exchange. With markets in Africa, the West Indies, and Latin America, Johnson Products was the largest Black-owned corporation in the country.  

In addition to his success in the hair care industry, Johnson, Sr. was a notable philanthropist. He established a million-dollar scholarship fund for Black students majoring in business and contributed thousands of dollars to the United Negro College Fund. He served on the boards of Commonwealth Edison and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and was active with multiple civic organizations. He received numerous honors during his career, including Ebony magazine’s American Black Achievement Award in 1978. He also founded Independence Bank in 1964, which by the 1980s grew to be the largest Black-owned bank in America. 

From 1976 to 1979, George E. Johnson, Sr. served on the Trust’s Executive Committee. Upon his departure, his fellow Executive Committee members praised his commitment to the Trust’s work and support for its leadership. Those who had the privilege of working with him stated they were “dedicated to the continuance of the high quality of performance and personal commitment which he has exemplified.”