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Herman T. Smith
Herman T. Smith
The first black salesman hired by PepsiCo, the 28-year-old Smith was charged in 1940 with cornering the black consumer market, getting a jump on rival Coke. He and his team couldn't stay in white-only hotels, so they made train reservations on Pullman sleeping cars.

NEXT: William Wrigley Jr.
Last updated September 26 2008: 10:53 AM ET
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