Howard Naylor Fitzhugh (1909–1992) was an American academic and one of the first

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

graduates of

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

. Fitzhugh is credited with creating the concept of

target marketing A target market, also known as serviceable obtainable market (SOM), is a group of customers within a business's serviceable available market at which a business aims its marketing efforts and resources. A target market is a subset of the total m ...

Early life

Fitzhugh was born on October 31, 1909, in Washington, D.C. He earned a full scholarship to Harvard at the age of sixteen while still a student at Dunbar High School. Fitzhugh, intent on becoming a doctor, studied science and graduated ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1930. Three years later, he earned his

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

from

in 1933.

Career

Fitzhugh could not find work in his field and returned to his native

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, to teach a business course at

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

.H. Naylor Fitzhugh Conference
Although the position was meant to be temporary, Fitzhugh continued teaching marketing and management at Howard University for 31 years. At Howard, he developed the university's marketing program, organized its Small Business Center, and advised the student marketing association for many years. In 1965, Fitzhugh accepted a marketing position at the

Pepsi-Cola Company PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manuf ...

. He worked in establishing the African-American community as a lucrative mass market and created the concept of

in corporate America. He eventually became Vice President for Special Markets at Pepsi. In 1974, ''

Black Enterprise ''Black Enterprise'' (stylized in all caps) is an American multimedia company. A Black-owned business since the 1970s, its flagship product ''Black Enterprise'' magazine has covered African American businesses with a readership of 3.7 mil ...

'' named him the "Dean of Black Business." The following year, Vice President

Nelson A. Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich "Rocky" Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the 41st vice president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He was also the 49th governor of New York, serving from 1959 to 197 ...

presented Fitzhugh with a special black enterprise achievement award. Fitzhugh was also a founding member and past president of the National Association of Market Developers, aimed at black consumers, and acted as a consultant for major corporations and, from 1975 to 1981, for the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

. He helped to establish the Black Alumni Association at

and became its first chairman in 1978.

Death and legacy

Fitzhugh died on July 26, 1992, at the age of 82 at

New York University Medical Center NYU Langone Health is an integrated academic health system located in New York City, New York, United States. The health system consists of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, both part of New Y ...

. After his death,

established an endowed professorship in Fitzhugh’s name. Pepsi also created a fellowship at Harvard University which enable students from Howard University and other

historically black colleges and universities Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

to attend Harvard Business School.

References

External links

H. Naylor Fitzhugh Finding Aid

Early life

Career

Death and legacy

References

External links

See also