Madame CJ Walker
Madam Walker, widely eulogized as the first woman to become a self-made millionaire, died in 1919 with an estimated estate value of $600,000 (about $8 million today). She was fifty-one years old at the time of her death and passed away due to hypertension at her country home.
Legacy and Worth
At the time of her death, Madam Walker’s estate was valued between $600,000 and $700,000, equivalent to $8.9 million to $10.4 million today. The completion of her plans for the Indianapolis headquarters, the Walker Building, was carried out posthumously in 1927.
Education and Achievements
Madam Walker received minimal formal education during her childhood. She may have had some education at her family’s church in Delta, Louisiana, under Reverend Curtis Pollard. She created ‘Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower’ in 1906, a product made of various ingredients including sulfur, copper sulfate, beeswax, petrolatum, coconut oil, and a violet extract perfume.
Addie Monroe
In the Netflix miniseries, Addie Monroe was depicted as Madam C.J. Walker’s competitor but was inspired by the real-life history-maker Annie Malone, who was born to formerly enslaved parents and raised by her older sisters.