Alexander D. Henderson Jr.

Alexander Dawson Henderson Jr. (February 16, 1895 – July 8, 1964), was a business leader, financier and philanthropist, and long-time mayor of Hillsboro Beach, Florida. He was Vice President and Director of the California Perfume Company (CPC), which later became Avon Products. He created the Hillsboro Country Day School in Hillsboro Beach.

Alexander D. Henderson Jr.
Alexander D. Henderson Jr., ca. 1960
Personal details
Born
Alexander Dawson Henderson

(1895-02-16)February 16, 1895
Brooklyn, New York
DiedJuly 8, 1964(1964-07-08) (aged 69)
Boston, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
Spouse(s)Mary Barnes Anthony
Lucia Maria Ernst
Children3
EducationDartmouth College
ProfessionBusinessman
Known forPhilanthropy
Mayor of Hillsboro Beach
VP and Director of Avon
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States of America
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1917–1919
RankLieutenant in the Cavalry

Early life
See also: Alexander D. Henderson (businessman)

Alexander D. Henderson was born on February 16, 1895, in Brooklyn, New York,[1] the son of Alexander. D. Henderson Sr. and Ella Margaret Brown. He was the grandson of Joseph Henderson (pilot) and brother to Girard B. Henderson. In 1909, the Henderson family moved to Suffern, New York. Henderson spent most of his early life in Suffern, in a large Georgian house on the hill facing the Nyack Turnpike in New York.

In June 1914, when Henderson was 19, his father took the family on a two-month vacation-business trip to Europe. They saw fields of flowers and bought necessary oils from the French. The family also visited the oil factories that made the perfume for the California Perfume Company.[2]

Marriage and children

On February 14, 1920, Henderson married Mary Barnes Billings Anthony at her parents' home in Ridgewood, New Jersey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Dayton Anthony.[3]

The couple had two children:

  • Mary Ella Henderson (1922-2014), was married to Stuart Walter Hinrichs and had four children.
  • Alexander D. Henderson III (1924-2020), joined the U.S. Army in 1943 and was a businessman.

Mary and Henderson were divorced in Las Vegas in 1935. In 1936, he married Lucia Maria Ernst in New York City. On March 9, 1946, he and Lucy had a son, Allen Douglas Henderson who was born in New York City.

Military

From 1912 to 1915, Henderson attended the New York Military Academy, a boarding school at Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, just south of Newburgh. At the New York Military Academy, Henderson was listed as Lieutenant of Company B.[4]

In 1916, Henderson attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and belonged to the ZETA Chapter of the PSI Upsilon Fraternity. By midyear, he decided to leave Dartmouth and volunteer for the U. S. Army during World War I. On August 15, 1917, he was called into active service at the Student Officer Training Camp in the Ramapo, New York precinct. Because of his military experience while at the New York Military Academy, he became a 2nd Lieutenant in the Cavalry, stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He was also stationed at Company D, Hughes High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was promoted 1st Lieutenant on April 8, 1918.[5] Henderson was discharged from the Army on January 28, 1919.[6]

Professional life

California Perfume Company
Alexander D. Henderson, Jr, in 1927.

Henderson started working for the California Perfume Company (CPC) in 1919 in the shipping department. By 1925, Henderson had become vice president and a Director of CPC in charge of purchases.[7]

On October 6, 1939, The California Perfume Company changed its name to Allied Products and then, in 1939, to Avon Products Inc.[8]

On December 17, 1935, Henderson's mother created a holding company called the Alexander Dawson Inc. (ADI), which was named after her husband, Alexander D. Henderson Sr. The certificate of incorporation of the company was filed with the Secretary of State of Trenton, New Jersey. Ella B. Henderson, Alexander D. Henderson, and Girard B. Henderson were the directors.[9] ADI is still in existence today and is located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On April 12, 1940, it was reported that Henderson had resigned as vice-president of the Allied Products Company of Suffern, after 23 years of service. He would remain a director of the company. He was going to work with a boyhood friend, Sanford M.[10]

Retirement

In 1946, Henderson and his family moved to Hillsboro Beach, Broward County, Florida.[11] Henderson and his brother continued to serve on Avon's Board of Directors.[12] From 1945 to 1960, A. D. Henderson was listed as Director in the company's Annual Reports.[13]

Politics

Henderson became vice mayor of Hillsboro Beach, Florida in 1955.[14] He became the Mayor of Hillsboro Beach in 1958 and held this position for six consecutive years (1958–1964).[15][16]

On June 1, 1965, after the death of Henderson, Police Chief Raymond McMullin presented a memorial to the former mayor's window, Lucy Henderson. She turned the plaque over to the town's present mayor. The memorial will be displayed in the Town Council Room.[17]

Philanthropy

In 1953, Henderson created the Hillsboro Country Day School in Pompano Beach, Florida.[18]

Henderson was named building committee chairman for St. Andrew's School in 1961. Henderson contributed to the Saint Andrew's School, including the administration and the classroom building named, Henderson Hall.[19]

Death

Henderson died on July 8, 1964, at the New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. His obituary ran in several newspapers across the county. The New York Times ran an obituary that said: "Alexander D. Henderson of Hillsboro Beach, Fla., a director and former vice president of Avon Products, inc., cosmetics company, died Wednesday in New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston. He was 69 years old."[20] He was interned at the Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens Central in Fort Lauderdale. His wife, Lucia Ernst Henderson is buried in the same crypt.[21]

Post-Death

Alexander D. Henderson University
Alexander D. Henderson University School

On December 1, 1968, the A.D. Henderson University School at the Florida Atlantic University College of Education was dedicated in his honor. The Alexander D. Henderson University School is a public elementary and middle school (K-8) and legislated school district operating as an educational laboratory on the FAU's Boca Raton campus.[22]

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References
  1. "United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards". FamilySearch. 1942. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  2. The Story of Perfumery and the CPC, by William Scheele, California Perfume Company, New York, 1924
  3. "Pretty Anthony - Henderson Wedding Robs Ridgewood of Charming Daughter". www.newspapers.com. Suffern, New York. 1920-02-20. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  4. "Catalogue By New York Military Academy". books.google.com. 1914–1915. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  5. "New York, Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919". www.fold3.com. U.S.Government. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  6. United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940 Alexander Dawson Henderson, Jr., www.familysearch.org, Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  7. "Introducing You To The CPC". California Perfume Company. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  8. The California Perfume Company Historical Timeline
  9. "Minutes of Meeting of Incorporators Alexander Dawson, Inc.", December 18, 1935, ADI Certificate of Incorporation.
  10. Orangetown Telegram and The Pearl River Searchlight, April 12, 1940
  11. Tribute To A Friend. Bagpiper of Saint Andrew’s School An Episcopal School for Boys. August 1964.
  12. 1952 Avon Products Annual Report
  13. Avon Products, Inc., Annual Report, 1945-1960
  14. "Benson Mayor". Fort Lauderdale News. Florida. March 8, 1965. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  15. "Alexander D. Henderson, Avon Products Director". The New York Times. 1964-07-10. p. 29. Retrieved 2013-01-07.(subscription required)
  16. "Henderson Is Major 4th Time". Fort Lauderdale News. Hillsboro Beach. 1963-03-12. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  17. "A True Friend". Fort Lauderdale News. Florida. June 1, 1965. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  18. Ennis, Thomas W. (April 18, 1969). "News of Realty: Florida Acreage Bought". New York Times. ProQuest Historical Newspapers. p. 71.
  19. Sun-Sentinel newspaper, July 10, 1964
  20. "Alexander D. Henderson, Avon Products Director". The New York Times. July 10, 1964. Retrieved 22 Jan 2013.
  21. Forest Lawn Memorial office and crypt picture.
  22. "A.D. Henderson University School". Florida Atlantic University College of Education. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
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