BUSINESSPERSON

Madam C. J. Walker

1867 - 1919

Photo of Madam C. J. Walker

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Madam C. J. Walker (born Sarah Breedlove; December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919) was an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist. She is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America in the Guinness Book of World Records. Multiple sources mention that although other women (like Mary Ellen Pleasant) might have been the first, their wealth is not as well-documented. Walker made her fortune by developing and marketing a line of cosmetics and hair care products for black women through the business she founded, Madam C. J. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Madam C. J. Walker has received more than 11,095,143 page views. Her biography is available in 37 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 34 in 2019). Madam C. J. Walker is the 120th most popular businessperson (down from 93rd in 2019), the 1,337th most popular biography from United States (down from 1,000th in 2019) and the 41st most popular American Businessperson.

Madam C. J. Walker was an African-American entrepreneur who was the first female self-made millionaire in America. She became famous for inventing and marketing a hair care line for black women.

Memorability Metrics

  • 11M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 60.78

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 37

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.24

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.28

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among BUSINESSPEOPLE

Among businesspeople, Madam C. J. Walker ranks 120 out of 847. Before her are Chung Ju-yung, Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden, William Randolph Hearst, Iwasaki Yatarō, César Ritz, and William Boeing. After her are Ivana Trump, Uli Hoeneß, François Pinault, James Mayer de Rothschild, Hiroshi Yamauchi, and Colonel Tom Parker.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1867, Madam C. J. Walker ranks 39. Before her are Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony, Percy Fawcett, Kurt Eisner, Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Edward B. Titchener, and Wilhelm Groener. After her are Henry L. Stimson, Antti Aarne, Charles Koechlin, Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Albert, 8th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, and Winsor McCay. Among people deceased in 1919, Madam C. J. Walker ranks 30. Before her are Johannes Rydberg, Terauchi Masatake, Leonid Andreyev, Habibullah Khan, Prince John of the United Kingdom, and Guido von List. After her are Loránd Eötvös, Henry Gantt, Sophia Tolstaya, Franz Mehring, Georg von Hertling, and Princess Marie Isabelle of Orléans.

Others Born in 1867

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Others Deceased in 1919

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Madam C. J. Walker ranks 1,337 out of 20,380. Before her are Lee de Forest (1873), Jean Tatlock (1914), Raoul Walsh (1887), Eric Roberts (1956), John Updike (1932), and Fredric Brown (1906). After her are Britney Spears (1981), Adam West (1928), Richard Farnsworth (1920), Richard Donner (1930), John Foster Dulles (1888), and Ben Gazzara (1930).

Others born in United States

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Among BUSINESSPEOPLE In United States

Among businesspeople born in United States, Madam C. J. Walker ranks 41. Before her are Solomon R. Guggenheim (1861), Ethan Allen (1738), Fred Trump (1905), Christina Onassis (1950), William Randolph Hearst (1863), and William Boeing (1881). After her are Sam Walton (1918), Margaret Hamilton (1936), Larry Flynt (1942), Phil Knight (1938), Asa Griggs Candler (1851), and John D. Rockefeller Jr. (1874).

American born Businesspeople

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