John Merrick

John Merrick (1859–1919) was an American businessman. Born into slavery in Clinton, North Carolina, Merrick founded 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. His business acumen and social consciousness made him one of the most influential members of the African-American community in his lifetime.

Early life 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 Black people at this time were merely trying to survive, as they lacked many of the rights that their white counterparts possessed. Black people 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.

Business career Barbering

Merrick's first financially successful business venture was his ownership of barbershops in the Durham area. His eventual financial achievements in the barbershop business gave him the necessary experience and resources to kick start his later business endeavors. Merrick joined John Wright, “a fellow barber,” who decided to “establish a [barbershop] business” in Durham and “offered [Merrick] employment in the new shop”. Owning the Durham barbershop brought Merrick immense personal success. He rose from an “un-schooled, self-trained boy to a successful businessman and substantial citizen”. Merrick later expanded the barbershop business by opening many more branches and became extremely successful. and Merrick's endearing and industrious attitude—he was noted to be unselfish and altruistic—allowed for his powerful white clients to become his friends. Working with Dr. Aaron Moore and Charles C. Spaulding, Merrick helped build the company into one of the largest African American–owned businesses in the United States. Contemporary sources described the enterprise as the “world’s largest Negro business.”

Additional business ventures Merrick's other business ventures brought him affluence, power, and prominence as well. He established the Mechanics and Farmers Bank, the first bank in Durham owned, controlled by African Americans,” which grew rapidly and was supported by black citizens at the time.

Legacy A new black middle class emerged in Durham. The city's black elite had the chance to explore the real estate, insurance, banking, and pharmaceutical industries instead of accepting the strenuous, run-of-the-mill jobs that whites did not want. It is noted in Merrick's biography that “young pharmacists” in the black community who did not have an opportunity to practice their trade were finally able to have access to the job that they truly desired with the development of the Bull City Drug Company. John Merrick's example got the ball rolling in black business, creating a unique “black Wall Street”