John Pemberton John Stith Pemberton ( July 8 , 1831 – August 16 , 1888 ) was an American pharmacist , and is best known for being the inventor of Coca - Cola . Background . Pemberton was born January 8 , 1831 , in Knoxville , in Crawford County , Georgia . His father was James Clifford Pemberton , brother of Confederate General John Clifford Pemberton . Pemberton was raised in Rome , Georgia . He entered the Reform Medical College of Georgia in Macon , and in 1850 , at the age of nineteen , he was licensed to practice pharmacy . Shortly thereafter , he met Ann Eliza Clifford Lewis of Columbus , Georgia , known as " Cliff , " who had been a student at the Wesleyan College in Macon . In 1853 , he married Ms . Lewis in Columbus . Their only child , Charles Ney Pemberton , was born in 1854 . At that time , Pemberton became the owner of two slaves . The 1860 Slave Schedule lists him as the owner of one 22 year old female slave . Invention of Coca - Cola . In April 1865 , as a Colonel in the Confederate Army , Pemberton was wounded in the Battle of Columbus , Georgia . He was slashed across his chest and like many wounded veterans became addicted to the morphine which he used to ease the pain . He was a pharmacist and as such searched for a cure to counteract his own addiction . In 1866 in Columbus , Georgia he started working on formulas that would serve as opium - free alternatives to morphine . His first was " Dr . Tuggle ' s Compound Syrup of Globe Flower ( " cephalanthus oxidentalis " ) . " Next he began experimenting with coca and coca wine s , eventually creating his own version of Vin Mariani , containing kola nut and damiana , which he called Pemberton ' s French Wine Coca . According to Coca - Cola historian , Phil Mooney , Pemberton ' s world - famous soda was " created in Columbus , Georgia and carried to Atlanta . " With public concern about drug addiction , depression and alcoholism among veterans , and " neurasthenia " among " highly - strung " Southern women , his medicinal concoction was advertised as being particularly beneficial for " ladies , and all those whose sedentary employment causes nervous prostration " . In 1886 , when Atlanta and Fulton County enacted temperance legislation , Pemberton found himself forced to produce a non - alcoholic alternative to his French Wine Coca . Pemberton relied on Atlanta druggist Willis Venable to test and help him perfect the recipe for the beverage , which he formulated by trial and error . With Venable ' s assistance , Pemberton worked out a set of directions for its preparation that eventually included blending the base syrup with carbonated water by accident when trying to make another glass . Pemberton decided then to sell it as a fountain drink rather than a medicine . Frank Mason Robinson came up with the name " Coca - Cola " for the alliterative sound , which was popular among other wine medicines of the time . Although the name quite clearly refers to the two main ingredients , the controversy over its cocaine content would later prompt The Coca - Cola Company to state that the name was " meaningless but fanciful . " Robinson also hand wrote the Spencerian script on the bottles and ads . Pemberton made many health claims for his product , touting it as a " valuable brain tonic " that would cure headaches , relieve exhaustion and calm nerves , and marketed it as " delicious , refreshing , pure joy , exhilarating , " and " invigorating . " Pemberton sells the business . Soon after Coca - Cola hit the market , Pemberton fell ill and nearly bankrupt . Sick and desperate , he began selling rights to his formula to his business partners in Atlanta . Part of his motivation to sell actually derived from his expensive continuing morphine addiction . Pemberton had a hunch that his formula " some day will be a national drink , " so he attempted to retain a share of the ownership to leave to his son . But Pemberton ' s son wanted the money . So in 1888 Pemberton and his son sold the remaining portion of the patent to Asa Candler . Death . Pemberton died in August 1888 , poor , sick , addicted to morphine and a victim of stomach cancer . His body was returned to Columbus , Georgia where he was laid to rest at Linwood Cemetery . His gravemarker was engraved with symbols honoring his Confederate service and his membership as a Freemason . His son , Charley , continued to attempt to sell an alternative to his father ' s formula , but only six years later Charley died , an opium user himself . John Pemberton in popular culture . The " Fallout " series of video games feature a beverage called Nuka - Cola , which is based on Coca - Cola . The inventor ' s name , John Caleb - Bradberton , is based on both Pemberton and Pepsi - Cola inventor Caleb Bradham . In 2010 , the Coca - Cola Company paid tribute to Pemberton as a key character within an advertising campaign called " Secret Formula " . Centered on the secret ingredients of Coca - Cola , imagery related to Pemberton was used to make people more aware of Coke ’ s history and mythology . The book " " features a Dr . Pemberton as chemistry teacher ; his death said to be due to overcarbonation resulting in an exploded stomach , and addicting children to soda as the reason for punishment in the afterlife . John Pemberton was also referenced as , " the guy who invented Coca - Cola , " in an installment of " Futurama " titled " The Deep South " . In 2013 , Pemberton was portrayed by Bill Hader in the " Atlanta " episode of Comedy Central ' s Drunk History , created by Derek Waters . Spotify is partnered with Coca - Cola , and they produced an ad together using John Pemberton ' s voice . Pemberton currently has descendants living in Detroit , Los Angeles , New York , Columbus , Georgia and some in South Carolina . He also had descendants in Canada , living in Victoria , Calgary and Toronto .