Cal Johnson (businessman)

Caldonia Fackler Johnson was an American businessman and philanthropist, active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into slavery, he rose to become a prominent Knoxville racetrack and saloon owner, and by the time of his death, was one of the wealthiest AfricanAmerican businessmen in the state. He also owned several thoroughbred racehorses, one of which captured a world speed record in 1893.

Johnson was born in 1844 in a house at the corner of Gay Street and Church Avenue in downtown Knoxville. His parents were Harriett Johnson , a slave of Charles McClung, and Cupid Johnson , a slave of Hugh Lawson McClung . Cupid was widely known as a horse trainer and jockey, and played a vital role in shaping Cals interest in horses. Harriett, a domestic servant, could read and write, and after the Civil War, she operated a hotel and grocery store in East Knoxville. As a teenager, Cal was sent to McClungs estate in Campbells Station , where he tended the familys horses. During the Civil War, he befriended noted Knoxville saloon owner Patrick Sullivan, and helped Sullivan relay messages back and forth to his family.

Source: Wikipedia