Business: New Boss of Coke

To Coca-Cola Co., the name Woodruff has been as indispensable as "refreshes" in its slogan. It was Ernest Woodruff, a Southern financier, who bought the company in 1919 (for $25 million) and started its expansion. Four years later he turned it over to his hustling son Robert, who soon changed Coke from a corner-drugstore treat into one of the world's most widely sold products. In 1939 Woodruff became chairman of the executive committee, but remained top boss while presidents came and went. This week, 65, Coke's retirement age, Woodruff at last stepped out (he will remain a director and a large...

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