Aflac Incorporated
Company History
Aflac History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1955 in Columbus, Georgia
When was Aflac founded?
Aflac was founded in 1955 in Columbus, Georgia by John Amos, Paul Amos and Bill Amos, making it 71 years old.
- Founded
- 1955
- Founding place
- Columbus, Georgia
- Founders
- John Amos, Paul Amos and Bill Amos
- Headquarters today
- Columbus, Georgia
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1955–2025)
- Current CEO
- Daniel P. Amos
- Acquisitions
- 3
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1955 | Company founded |
| 1957 | Cancer policy introduced |
| 1964 | Worksite selling begins |
| 1974 | Japan operations and NYSE listing |
| 1989 | AFLAC acronym adopted |
| 1990 | Daniel Amos becomes CEO |
| 2000 | Aflac Duck campaign launches |
| 2009 | Continental American acquired |
| 2018 | Japan subsidiary conversion |
| 2019 | Argus Holdings acquired |
| 2020 | Zurich group benefits acquired |
| 2025 | Seventieth anniversary and FY2025 results |
- Where was Aflac founded?
- Aflac was founded in Columbus, Georgia in 1955.
- Who founded Aflac?
- Aflac was founded by John Amos, Paul Amos and Bill Amos.
- When did Aflac start?
- Aflac was founded in 1955.
- How old is Aflac?
- Aflac is 71 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Aflac was founded in Columbus, Georgia in 1955 by three brothers: John, Paul, and Bill Amos. Originally named the American Family Life Insurance Company, they struggled severely in the highly saturated traditional life insurance market. The critical turning point came in 1958 when they pioneered the world's first cancer insurance policy. Recognizing that traditional health insurance rarely covered the massive out-of-pocket costs of cancer treatments, they created a highly lucrative niche that propelled the company to massive, international success.
Founders
John Amos
John Amos (1924-1990) was the primary visionary behind Aflac. As the original CEO, he recognized the catastrophic financial impact of cancer on middle-class families and pioneered the very first cancer insurance policy in 1958. Most crucially, he personally orchestrated Aflac's massive entry into the Japanese market in 1974, securing a monopoly on cancer insurance in Japan that still drives the vast majority of the company's revenue today. John Amos was born in 1924.
Paul Amos
Paul Amos (1926-2014) co-founded Aflac alongside his brothers. He served as the primary architect of the company's highly aggressive, direct-to-consumer sales force, personally building out the 'cluster selling' strategy where agents sold policies directly to employees at their workplaces. Paul Amos was born in 1926.
Bill Amos
Bill Amos (1928-1997) was the youngest of the three founding brothers. He managed the company's early, chaotic back-office operations and underwriting during its highly precarious first decade before the cancer policy made the company wildly profitable. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Key Milestones
Company founded
John, Paul, and Bill Amos founded American Family Life Insurance Company of Columbus on November 17.
Source: aflac.comCancer policy introduced
American Family Life introduced a cancer policy designed to address financial burdens associated with cancer.
Source: aflac.comWorksite selling begins
The company began cluster selling its cancer policies at worksites and changed its name to American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus.
Source: aflac.comJapan operations and NYSE listing
The company began operating in Japan and listed American Family Corporation on the NYSE under ticker AFL.
Source: aflac.comAFLAC acronym adopted
American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus officially adopted the acronym AFLAC.
Source: aflac.comDaniel Amos becomes CEO
Daniel P. Amos became CEO of Aflac Incorporated, and Paul S. Amos became chairman.
Source: aflac.comAflac Duck campaign launches
The Aflac Duck appeared in its first commercial on January 1.
Source: aflac.comContinental American acquired
Aflac completed its $100 million acquisition of Continental American Insurance Company, now branded as Aflac Group Insurance.
Source: newsroom.aflac.comJapan subsidiary conversion
Aflac converted its Japan branch into Aflac Life Insurance Japan Ltd.
Source: aflac.comArgus Holdings acquired
Aflac acquired Argus Holdings and its Argus Dental and Vision subsidiary to add U.S. network dental and vision capabilities.
Source: investors.aflac.comZurich group benefits acquired
Aflac acquired Zurich North America's U.S. Corporate Life and Pensions business, including supporting assets and employees.
Source: investors.aflac.comSeventieth anniversary and FY2025 results
Aflac marked 70 years since its founding and reported $17.164 billion in total revenues for FY2025.
Source: sec.govMajor Acquisitions
Continental American Insurance Company
2009Added group supplemental insurance and expanded Aflac's access to broker-distributed U.S. worksite business.
Argus Holdings, LLC
2019Added a national network dental and vision platform and benefits-administration capabilities in the United States. Terms were not disclosed in the completion release.
Zurich North America U.S. Corporate Life and Pensions business
2020Added U.S. group life, disability, and absence-management capabilities. Aflac said total consideration, including supporting capital, was less than $200 million.
Keep researching Aflac
Aflac Company History FAQ
When was Aflac founded?
John, Paul, and Bill Amos founded the company in Columbus, Georgia, on November 17, 1955.
When did Aflac enter Japan?
Aflac began operating in Japan in 1974, the same year its parent listed on the NYSE under ticker AFL.
When did the Aflac Duck debut?
The Aflac Duck appeared in its first commercial on January 1, 2000.
When did Aflac get the duck mascot?
The iconic Aflac Duck was introduced in 1999 to aggressively boost brand awareness for an otherwise boring insurance product.
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