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AFRICAN-AMERICAN DEALERS

AFRICAN-AMERICAN DEALERS Listed By Date of Appointment

In collecting historical data, it was possible to develop a time line of those African-Americans who were the first within the industry to be franchised based on appointment date. It is believed the listing below is 98% accurate. As research continues, this information will be up-dated as appropriate.

 DateIndividual/City-StateFranchise
1.1923Homer B. Roberts – Kansas City, Mo.Hupmobile
2.1929Roberts-Campbell Chicago, Ill. a} (see notes below)Hupmobile
3.August 1936Dan Gaines – Chicago, Ill.Ford
4.1940Ed Davis – Detroit, Mich.Studebaker
5.Sept. 1957Ed Davis – Detroit, Mich. b}Ford
6.1961Robert H. Nelson, Jr.Chicago, Ill.MG-Peugeot
7.August 1962Robert P. Neal – Chicago, Ill.Triumph-BMC
8.Nov. 1963Ed Davis – Detroit, Mich.Chrysler-Ply.
9.1964Robert P. Neal – Chicago, Ill.Sunbeam
10.July 1966C. G. Hairston – Danville, Va.Fiat
11.August 1967Robert H. Nelson Jr. & Ernie Banks - Chicago, Ill.Ford
12.October 1967Al Johnson – Chicago, Ill.Oldsmobile
13.October 1967Robert P. Neal – Chicago, Ill.Toyota
14.October 1967A. Gordon Wright Venice, Calif.Ford
15.November 1967 Adam McFadden Los Angeles, Calif. Pontiac
16.May 1968Kenneth O. Wilson Baltimore, Md.c}C-Dodge
17.August 1968Todd Cochran & Roy Knight San Francisco, Calif.C-Dodge
18.August 1968Don M. Thomas – Newark, N. J.Chrysler-Ply.
19.October 1968Arthur Bailey – Brooklyn, N. Y.Chrysler-Ply
20.Nov. 1968Clem Edwards & Alvin Dinwiddie
Chicago, Ill.
Ford
21.February 1969Theodore & Butler Chapelle Chicago, Ill.Pontiac
22.March 1969Lou Brock – E. St. Louis, Ill.Chrysler–Dodge
23.March 1969Dan Brown – New Rochelle, N. Y. d}L-M
24.April 1969Edward Frazier – Tuskegee, Ala.Chevrolet
25.April 1969Van Yassall – Germantown, Pa.American Motors
27.July 1969Richard J. Wood – Washington, DCOlds
27.August 1969Leslie Bland- Chicago, Ill.L-M
28.Sept. 1969Roy Q. Hanks – Richmond, Calif.Pontiac
29.Sept. 1969Robert E. Hill – Compton, Calif.C-Dodge
30.Sept. 1969William W. Nelson Richmond, Calif.Chev.
31Sept. 1969Horace Noble – Chicago, Ill.C-Dodge
32.October 1969 Warren Y. Allen – Compton, Calif.C-Ply.
33.November 1969Burt Clemons – Cleveland, Ohio C-Ply.
34.December 1969James Price & Irvin Reeves Queens Village, N. Y.L-M
35.1969Henry L. Fisher, John E. Barber & Baron H. Martin - Franklin Park, Mass.American Mtrs.
36.January 1970Nathan G. Conyers – Detroit, Mich.Ford

First African American Women Dealers

 YearIndividual/City-StateFranchise
1.1979Barbara Wilson - Ferndale, Mi.Honda
2.1983Jackie Edgar - Jeanerette, La.Chevrolet
3.1986Jackie Edgar - Breaux Bridge, La.Ford

Notes:

  • a} Campbell was likely an investor without any operational responsibilities.
  • b} Distributor
  • c} Investment Group
  • d} 20% ownership but Brown made day-to-day management decisions as dealer principal.

Sources: Based on research conducted by Rusty Restuccia beginning in 1995. Primary sources were the individual minority dealer associations, newspaper and magazine articles.

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