American businessman, philanthropist, and self-help book author. His father died in 1905, leaving his family in debt. In 1908, he sold newspapers on the South Side of Chicago while his mother worked as a dressmaker, and by 1915 he owned his own newsstand. In 1918 he moved to Detroit to sell casualty insurance for his mother. In 1919, he founded the Combined Insurance Company of America, which provided accident and health insurance coverage; by 1930, he had over 1000 agents selling insurance for him across the U.S. By 1979, his insurance company exceeded $1 billion in assets. It later merged with the Ryan Insurance Group to form Aon Corporation in 1987, and Combined was later spun off by Aon to ACE Limited in April 2008 for $2.56 billion. In 1951, he founded the interfaith group "The Washington Pilgrimage," which later became the "Religious Heritage of America". It successfully advocated the Eisenhower administration to add "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance. He partnered with Napoleon Hill to teach the Philosophy of Personal Achievement "Science of Success" course, which spurred his own emphasis of a "positive mental attitude to succeed" and led to several book publications. His philanthropic efforts included the Boys Clubs of America (now Boys and Girls Clubs of America), and the National Music Camp at Interlochen, MI. He was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, and was a Freemason.
American businessman, philanthropist, and self-help book author. His father died in 1905, leaving his family in debt. In 1908, he sold newspapers on the South Side of Chicago while his mother worked as a dressmaker, and by 1915 he owned his own newsstand. In 1918 he moved to Detroit to sell casualty insurance for his mother. In 1919, he founded the Combined Insurance Company of America, which provided accident and health insurance coverage; by 1930, he had over 1000 agents selling insurance for him across the U.S. By 1979, his insurance company exceeded $1 billion in assets. It later merged with the Ryan Insurance Group to form Aon Corporation in 1987, and Combined was later spun off by Aon to ACE Limited in April 2008 for $2.56 billion. In 1951, he founded the interfaith group "The Washington Pilgrimage," which later became the "Religious Heritage of America". It successfully advocated the Eisenhower administration to add "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance. He partnered with Napoleon Hill to teach the Philosophy of Personal Achievement "Science of Success" course, which spurred his own emphasis of a "positive mental attitude to succeed" and led to several book publications. His philanthropic efforts included the Boys Clubs of America (now Boys and Girls Clubs of America), and the National Music Camp at Interlochen, MI. He was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, and was a Freemason.
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