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Asa Griggs Candler was born in Villa Rica, Carrol County, Ga., in 1851. He came from an excellent family—his great grandfather had commanded a regiment during the Revolutionary War. In the War Between The States, however, his people were on the losing side, and the family fortunes were swept away in Sherman's famed March to the Sea. He studied pharmacy, worked in Atlanta drugstores until in 1877 he went into a drugstore partnership. In 1889 he bought into Coca-Cola; became sole owner in 1900; in 1902 organized the Coca-Cola Co. In 1911 his son, Charles Howard Candler, succeeded him as active company head, and in 1919 the business was sold to the present Coca-Cola company.
Mr. Candler's public life was marked by a long series of benefactions. An ardent Methodist, he contributed to Methodism more than $10,000,000, particularly to the endowment of Emory University. In 1914, when the World War cut off the European cotton market, Mr. Candler announced that he would lend up to $30,000,000 to cotton growers, later repeated this offer with the limit removed. In 1915, when the State of Georgia found itself saddled with an old bond issue, relic of carpet bag days, Mr. Candler offered to buy the entire issue ($3,850,000).
During 1917-1918, as Mayor of Atlanta, Mr. Candler discovered that the city had no funds to pay for projected improvements in the water supply, therefore advanced to Atlanta $360,000 of his own money. In January 1923 grateful Atlantans presented him with two silver cups, one as the man who had done most for Atlanta during the previous year, the other as Atlanta's First Citizen.
Mr. Candler's estate was estimated at not more than $500,000. In 1919, however, he gave $5,000,000 to each of his five children. He kept about $5,000,000 for himself and later gave most of it to various philanthropies.