Herman J. Russell

Herman Jerome Russell (December 23, 1930 – November 15, 2014) was an entrepreneur and influential figure in Atlanta, Georgia.

Herman J. Russell
Born	Atlanta, Georgia
Died	November 15, 2014(2014-11-15) (aged 83) Atlanta, Georgia
Occupation	Entrepreneur

Business career

Russell served as the first African American member of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} He founded H. J. Russell & Company, the largest minority-owned real estate and construction business in the United States.^[6][7] Russell was a 1991 recipient of the Horatio Alger Award, and received the title Georgia Trustee from the Georgia Historical Society in 2013.^[1] Russell's autobiography Building Atlanta was published in April 2014, shortly before his death.^[8]

Death

Herman J. Russell died on November 15, 2014, at the age of 83, in Atlanta Georgia and was buried at South-View Cemetery.^[9] After his death, DNA proved that Russell fathered a daughter out of wedlock, Joycelyn Alston. Courts ruled that Alson was not entitled to any portion of his estate as he had left behind a will disinheriting any potential children born out-of-wedlock.