Part 2/11:
Interestingly, Azzie Barber did not begin his career in business. Born in Vermont in the 1840s, Barber initially pursued a career in education. He attended Oberlin College before moving to Washington D.C. in the late 1860s, where he became a professor and later a director at the newly established Howard University.
By 1873, Barber and his son-in-law, Andrew Langdon, purchased 40 acres of land adjacent to Howard University, establishing Ledevoit Park—one of Washington’s earliest planned suburbs. This early foray into real estate set the foundation for Barber’s future ventures and growing wealth.