Asa Griggs Candler
The tenacious pharmacist who bought a syrup recipe for $2,300 and built it into the world's most recognizable brand.
1851–1929 (age 78)·American business magnate·Birthday: December 30
Biography
Asa Candler was a man of devout Methodism and relentless drive, a combination that fueled his rise from a small-town Georgia druggist to an empire builder. In 1888, seeking a new product for his soda fountain, he acquired the rights to Coca-Cola from its ailing inventor, John Pemberton. Where others saw a medicinal tonic, Candler envisioned a national refreshment. He poured his energy and capital into a marketing blitz, distributing countless coupons for free glasses, plastering the distinctive script logo on everything from calendars to barns, and fiercely protecting the secret formula. By 1892, he had incorporated The Coca-Cola Company, and through a franchise bottling system, he transformed a local curiosity into a bottled phenomenon available coast to coast. His business acumen was matched only by his philanthropic zeal, as he later gave away much of his fortune to institutions like Emory University before serving as mayor of Atlanta.
#1 When Asa Was Born
The biggest hits of 1851
Asa's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1851Born
1856Started school
1864Became a teenager
President: Abraham Lincoln
1867Could drive
President: Andrew Johnson
1869Could vote
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1872Turned 21
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1881Turned 30
President: Chester A. Arthur
1891Turned 40
President: Benjamin Harrison
1901Turned 50
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 60
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1921Turned 70
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1929Died at 78
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
Key Achievements
- Purchased the formula and brand rights for Coca-Cola in 1888 for approximately $2,300, founding The Coca-Cola Company in 1892.
- Pioneered aggressive national advertising and couponing strategies that made Coca-Cola a household name across America.
- Established the widespread bottling franchise system that enabled Coca-Cola's global distribution.
- Served as the 41st mayor of Atlanta from 1916 to 1919.
Did You Know?
He was a major donor to Emory University and the Methodist church; Candler Hall at Emory is named for him.
He sold The Coca-Cola Company in 1919 for $25 million to a group of investors led by Ernest Woodruff.
Despite building the brand, he remained a teetotaler and opposed the sale of Coca-Cola on Sundays.
“If I could give a young man advice, I would say to him, 'Don't take anybody's advice.'”
