Washington, Sarah Spencer (1889–?)

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Washington, Sarah Spencer (1889–?)

African-American entrepreneur. Name variations: Sara Washington. Born in Berkley, Virginia, June 6, 1889; death date unknown; dau. of Joshua and Ellen (Douglass) Phillips; educated at the Lincoln Preparatory School in Philadelphia, and the Norfolk Mission College; studied beauty culture in York, Pennsylvania, and advanced chemistry at Columbia University.

Starting out as a dressmaker, turned to the field of beauty culture (1913), founding a small hairdressing shop in Atlantic City, New Jersey; like Madame C. J. Walker and Annie Turnbo Malone before her, began a house-to-house campaign to sell her wares; by 1919, was the sole owner of Apex Hair and News Co., conducting classes and setting up supply stations throughout New York and New Jersey; by 1939, her regular staff had grown to 215, with 35,000 agents throughout US; was also generous with her money, giving often to the black community.

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