Madam C. J. Walker was an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist. She is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America in the Guinness Book of World Records. Multiple sources mention that although other women might have been the first, their wealth is not as well-documented.
Walker c. 1914
C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1911
Walker's home at 67 Broadway in Irvington, New York
The grave of Madam C. J. Walker
Mary Ellen Pleasant was an American entrepreneur, financier, real estate magnate and abolitionist. She was arguably the first self-made millionaire of African-American heritage, preceding Madam C. J. Walker by decades.
Mary Ellen Pleasant
Battleground of the Harper's Ferry insurrection, with Captain E. G. Alburtis' party attacking the insurgents, wood engraving, November 5, 1859, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.