Robert W. Woodruff
Encyclopedia
Robert Winship Woodruff (December 6, 1889 – March 7, 1985) was the president of The Coca-Cola Company
from 1923 until 1954. With his enormous Coke fortune, he was also a major philanthropist, and many educational and cultural landmarks in the U.S.
city of Atlanta, Georgia
, bear his name.
, the son of Ernest Woodruff
, an Atlanta businessman who, among other things, was leader of the group of investors who bought The Coca-Cola Company
from Asa Griggs Candler
in 1919. His grandfather was Atlanta manufacturing magnate Robert Winship
.
After graduating from the Georgia Military Academy
he attended Georgia Tech
, where he failed out; and then the Emory University campus at Oxford, Georgia
, for one term, where he excelled at "cutting classes and spending money".
foundry in Inman Park
, Atlanta. For a week he shoveled and shifted sand, then worked a lathe as a machinist's apprentice. After a year he was fired. But then he was rehired by General's parent company, General Fire Extinguisher where he worked his way into sales. He then accepted a job offer from his father at Atlantic Ice and Coal Company but left after differences with him. Woodruff parlayed his love of early automobiling into a sales position at White Motor Company
based in Cleveland, Ohio
, and quickly rose to become vice president of that company. During World War I
, Woodruff joined the US Ordnance Department where he promoted a truck design that only White Motors could fulfill, giving the company huge war-time sales.
When Coca-Cola
got into financial difficulty, the board elected Robert Woodruff as president at the age of 33. Woodruff built Coca-Cola into an international company, establishing a foreign department in 1926. He stepped down as president in 1954, but remained on the board of directors until 1984. He died in 1985 and was buried at the Westview Cemetery
in southwest Atlanta.
Woodruff's personal chauffeur was Luther Cain, Jr., father of businessman and 2012 Republican presidential candidate
Herman Cain
.
gave $105 million to Emory University and would eventually give a total of $230 million dollars. Several buildings on the Emory campus
are named for him and members of his family. The Robert W. Woodruff Professor
ships are named for him.
He also gave large sums of money to other area colleges and universities and to Woodward Academy
(formerly Georgia Military Academy) in College Park
and the Westminster Schools
in Atlanta. A boy scout
camp in Blairsville, Georgia
named the Robert W. Woodruff Scout Reservation, which is run by the Atlanta Area Council, was built following major donations from the Woodruff Foundation and Coca-Cola. Atlanta's largest cultural institution, the Woodruff Arts Center
, benefited from his gifts and is named for him, as is Woodruff Park
. The Robert W. Woodruff library is located in the Atlanta University Center and services Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University. (Woodruff Dam is not named after him, but rather for Jim Woodruff.)
Mr. Woodruff was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1977.
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
from 1923 until 1954. With his enormous Coke fortune, he was also a major philanthropist, and many educational and cultural landmarks in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
city of Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, bear his name.
Early life
Woodruff was born in Columbus, GeorgiaColumbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
, the son of Ernest Woodruff
Ernest Woodruff
Ernest Woodruff was an important businessman in the U.S. city of Atlanta.-Biography:Woodruff was born in Columbus, Georgia, USA...
, an Atlanta businessman who, among other things, was leader of the group of investors who bought The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
from Asa Griggs Candler
Asa Griggs Candler
Asa Griggs Candler was an American business tycoon who made his fortune selling Coca-Cola. He also served as the 44th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia from 1916 to 1919...
in 1919. His grandfather was Atlanta manufacturing magnate Robert Winship
Robert Winship
Robert Winship was a prominent 19th century Atlanta businessman who built his fortune on the Winship Machine Company, originally built up by his father...
.
After graduating from the Georgia Military Academy
Woodward Academy
Woodward Academy is an independent, co-educational college-preparatory school for grades Pre-Kindergarten to 12 located in College Park, Georgia, within the Atlanta metropolitan area...
he attended Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, where he failed out; and then the Emory University campus at Oxford, Georgia
Oxford College of Emory University
Oxford College is a two-year residential college specializing in the foundations of liberal arts education, and is one of nine divisions of Emory University. The college is located on Emory University's original 1836 campus in Oxford, Georgia, 38 miles east of the main Atlanta campus...
, for one term, where he excelled at "cutting classes and spending money".
Career
Spurning his father's work offers, in February 1909 at age 19 he began work as a laborer at the General Pipe and Foundry CompanyGeneral Pipe and Foundry Company
The General Pipe and Foundry Company foundry and machine shop was located on the north side of Highland Avenue between Elizabeth Street and the BeltLine in Inman Park, Atlanta, Georgia. Coca-Cola executive Robert W. Woodruff worked here when he was 19 years old.The land on which the complex once...
foundry in Inman Park
Inman Park
Inman Park was planned in the late 1880s by Joel Hurt, a civil engineer and real-estate developer who intended to create a rural oasis connected to the city by the first of Atlanta's electric streetcar lines. The East Atlanta Land Company acquired and developed more than 130 acres east of the city...
, Atlanta. For a week he shoveled and shifted sand, then worked a lathe as a machinist's apprentice. After a year he was fired. But then he was rehired by General's parent company, General Fire Extinguisher where he worked his way into sales. He then accepted a job offer from his father at Atlantic Ice and Coal Company but left after differences with him. Woodruff parlayed his love of early automobiling into a sales position at White Motor Company
White Motor Company
White Motor Company was an American automobile and truck manufacturer from 1900 until 1980. The company also produced bicycles, roller skates, automatic lathes, and sewing machines. Before World War II, the company was based in Cleveland, Ohio.-History:...
based in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, and quickly rose to become vice president of that company. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Woodruff joined the US Ordnance Department where he promoted a truck design that only White Motors could fulfill, giving the company huge war-time sales.
When Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
got into financial difficulty, the board elected Robert Woodruff as president at the age of 33. Woodruff built Coca-Cola into an international company, establishing a foreign department in 1926. He stepped down as president in 1954, but remained on the board of directors until 1984. He died in 1985 and was buried at the Westview Cemetery
Westview Cemetery
Westview Cemetery, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is the largest cemetery in the South East, comprising over , 50% of which is undeveloped. Westview includes the graves of more than 100,000 people.- History:...
in southwest Atlanta.
Woodruff's personal chauffeur was Luther Cain, Jr., father of businessman and 2012 Republican presidential candidate
Republican Party (United States) presidential candidates, 2012
This article contains lists of candidates associated with the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries for the 2012 United States presidential election.-Candidates:...
Herman Cain
Herman Cain
Herman Cain is a candidate for the 2012 U.S. Republican Party presidential nomination.Cain has a background as a business executive, syndicated columnist, and radio host from Georgia. He served as chairman and CEO of Godfather's Pizza from 1986 to 1996...
.
Legacy
In 1979, Woodruff and his brother George W. WoodruffGeorge W. Woodruff
George Waldo Woodruff was an engineer, businessman, and philanthropist in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended the Georgia School of Technology in 1917 and gave generously to both his alma mater and Emory University, including George Waldo Woodruff (August 27, 1895 - February 4, 1987 in Atlanta, Georgia)...
gave $105 million to Emory University and would eventually give a total of $230 million dollars. Several buildings on the Emory campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
are named for him and members of his family. The Robert W. Woodruff Professor
Robert W. Woodruff Professor
The Robert W. Woodruff Professorships are endowed professorships at Emory University, named for philanthropist Robert W. Woodruff. The chairs are Emory University's "most distinguished academic appointments [...] reserved for world-class scholars who are not only proven leaders of their own fields...
ships are named for him.
He also gave large sums of money to other area colleges and universities and to Woodward Academy
Woodward Academy
Woodward Academy is an independent, co-educational college-preparatory school for grades Pre-Kindergarten to 12 located in College Park, Georgia, within the Atlanta metropolitan area...
(formerly Georgia Military Academy) in College Park
College Park, Georgia
College Park is a city located partly in Fulton County, Georgia and partially in Clayton County, Georgia, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,942...
and the Westminster Schools
The Westminster Schools
The Westminster Schools is a private school in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1951 and tracing its origins to 1878, Westminster has the largest endowment of any non-boarding school in the United States...
in Atlanta. A boy scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
camp in Blairsville, Georgia
Blairsville, Georgia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 659 people, 226 households, and 101 families residing in the city. The population density was 619.7 people per square mile . There were 261 housing units at an average density of 245.4 per square mile...
named the Robert W. Woodruff Scout Reservation, which is run by the Atlanta Area Council, was built following major donations from the Woodruff Foundation and Coca-Cola. Atlanta's largest cultural institution, the Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center is a major visual and performing arts center located in Atlanta. The center houses four arts divisions in one campus and not-for-profit organization...
, benefited from his gifts and is named for him, as is Woodruff Park
Woodruff Park
Woodruff Park, named for Robert W. Woodruff, is located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The park's are north of Edgewood Ave, between Peachtree Street NE and Park Place NE...
. The Robert W. Woodruff library is located in the Atlanta University Center and services Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University. (Woodruff Dam is not named after him, but rather for Jim Woodruff.)
Mr. Woodruff was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1977.
Further reading
- Allen, Frederick, Secret Formula, HarperCollins, 1994. ISBN 0-88730-751-5.
- Pendergrast, Mark, For God, Country, and Coca Cola, Basic Books, 2000. ISBN 0-465-05468-4.
External links
- Robert W. Woodruff Foundation at the New Georgia EncyclopediaNew Georgia EncyclopediaThe New Georgia Encyclopedia is a web-based encyclopedia containing over 2,000 articles about the state of Georgia.The Georgia Humanities Council, the Office of the Governor of Georgia, the University of Georgia Press, and the University System of Georgia/GALILEO have collaborated in the funding...