 thumb|right|woodruff in 1944. robert winship woodruff (december 6, 1889 â march 7, 1985) was the president of the coca-cola company from 1923 until 1954. with a large net worth, he was also a major philanthropist, and many educational and cultural landmarks in the u.s. city of atlanta, georgia, bear his name. ==early life== woodruff was born in columbus, georgia, 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".mark pendergrast, for god, country and coca-cola, p.152 ==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 company 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. in an effort to reconcile personal differences, his father ernest offered robert woodruff the position as president of the coca cola co. 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. his large shareholding and influence on the board's powerful finance committee gave him significant control over much of the company's direction for almost 60 years. 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 [[republican party (uni
1889_births 1985_deaths American_chief_executives American_philanthropists Businesspeople_from_Atlanta,_Georgia Businesspeople_in_the_beverage_industry Coca-Cola_people History_of_Atlanta,_Georgia People_from_Columbus,_Georgia