Legacy of George E. Johnson Sr.: A Pioneer in African American Business

George E. Johnson Sr., a former chemist who established Johnson Products Co. in Chicago, passed away at 97. His family confirmed his death at his home in Chicago. Johnson was a longtime resident of Water Tower Place on the Gold Coast and had previously lived in Glencoe.

Johnson’s influence on post-World War II Black Americans was significant. Through his company’s products, including Afro Sheen, Classy Curl, Gentle Treatment, and Ultra Sheen, and the sponsorship of the TV dance show “Soul Train,” Johnson shaped a market. His business, founded in 1954, was sold in 1993.

Early Life and Career

Born in Richton, Mississippi, in 1927, Johnson moved to Chicago at age two. He began working at six, collecting milk bottles and later took on various jobs like shoe shining and newspaper delivery. By junior year in high school, he worked for Black-owned Fuller Products, led by Samuel B. Fuller.

He spent ten years with Fuller, working his way up to head production chemist. Johnson learned to make cosmetics and hair products, and his education in the lab at Fuller informed his future business decisions.

Building Johnson Products

In the mid-1950s, with experience and a developed formula for hair straightening, Johnson ventured out on his own. He borrowed $250 to start Johnson Products in the back of a friend’s store. His first product, Ultra Wave Hair Culture, quickly gained popularity.

By 1958, he expanded his product line to include items for women, and the company grew substantially. In 1964, Johnson Products started generating over $1 million annually. By 1970, the company’s sales reached $12 million, and it went public on the American Stock Exchange, becoming the first Black-owned company to do so.

Challenges and Growth

Despite facing competition and regulatory challenges, such as having to revise labeling due to the presence of lye, his company endured. The company’s fortunes improved, reaching $40 million in sales by 1977, partly due to increased exposure from sponsoring “Soul Train.”

The company faced struggles in the mid-1970s when the FTC ordered all hair relaxer products to have extensive warning labels. Johnson’s products, being the first to comply, mistakenly appeared more hazardous than competitors’. This affected consumer trust in the brand.

Changes and Legacy

In 1985, Johnson Products associated with Michael Jordan and his mother, raising brand visibility. By 1989, Johnson relinquished his leadership role as part of a divorce settlement with his wife Joan, who became the majority shareholder. Joan sold the business to Ivax Corp in 1993, which later passed through different owners.

Johnson was also involved with Independence Bank, U.S. Postal Service, and other organizations. He remarried his first wife Joan in 1995, and she passed away in 2019.

His family includes his wife, Madeline Murphy Rabb, three sons, a daughter, ten grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Bob Goldsborough contributed as a freelance reporter.