John Merrick (1859–1919) was an African-American entrepreneur whose life represents a rags-to-riches story. Born into slavery in Clinton, North Carolina, Merrick relied on his social savvy, entrepreneurial spirit, and inner drive to achieve great personal wealth by founding various companies in the Raleigh, North Carolina and Durham, North Carolina areas, most notably the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. Portions of his wealth were channeled back into the black community through philanthropy. John Merrick was a great man- his business acumen and social consciousness made him one of the most influential members of the African-American community in his lifetime.
The southern United States was blanketed in tumult in the years following the Civil War best known as the Reconstruction era. The late 1800s were dominated by southern states rebuilding themselves after being decimated in the war. Racial tensions were boiling over between newly freed slaves and southern whites that adamantly disagreed with their emancipation. Although African American slaves had indeed been emancipated, their lives as free men and women did not significantly improve. Freed blacks were automatically placed at the bottom of the social hierarchy and were denied virtually all rights that were afforded to whites. John Merrick, a freed slave-turned-businessman, grew up against this backdrop of upheaval. Despite the racial barriers that prevented many blacks of his time from achieving success, Merrick was able to achieve wealth and prominence in his community. However, Merrick did not bask in his own personal wealth; he channeled his success back into the black community of Durham through philanthropy and job opportunities in order to plant the seed for a flourishing black society.
Merrick was born into slavery in Clinton, North Carolina on September 7, 1859. Following his emancipation, Merrick learned to read and write at a Reconstructionist school. Most newly freed blacks at this time were merely trying to survive, as they lacked many of the rights that their white counterparts possessed. Blacks also faced blunt discrimination and a lack of economic opportunities from biased whites that were opposed to their emancipation. Growing up in this environment, Merrick was forced to begin work at a young age in order to support his parents and siblings. Merrick became a brick mason while simultaneously learning the barber trade “during a lull in construction” in order to make ends meet. In the brickyards, Merrick had a first-hand look at Durham’s impoverished black population, “whose improvidence impressed upon his mind the thought of doing something for their protection”. His early jobs paved the way for Merrick’s future success as a barbershop entrepreneur and later as a business mogul and philanthropist.