John S. Pemberton

John Pemberton
John Stith Pemberton
Born	(1831-07-08)July 8, 1831 Knoxville, Georgia, U.S.
Died	August 16, 1888(1888-08-16) (aged 57) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Cause of death	Stomach cancer
Resting place	Linwood Cemetery, Columbus, Georgia, U.S.
Residence	Pemberton House, Columbus, Georgia, U.S.
Education	Reform Medical College of Georgia
Occupation	Pharmacist
Known for	inventor of Coca-Cola
Spouse(s)	Ann Eliza Clifford Lewis
Children	Charles Ney Pemberton
Parent(s)	James Pemberton (father) Martha L. Gant (mother)

John Stith Pemberton (July 8, 1831 – August 16, 1888) was an American pharmacist, and is best known for being the founder of Coca-Cola. In May 1886 he developed an early version of a beverage that would later become world famous as Coca-Cola, but sold his rights to the drink shortly before his death.

Pemberton was born July 8, 1831, in Knoxville, Georgia, and spent most of his childhood in Rome, Georgia. His parents were James C. Pemberton and Martha L. Gant. He entered the Reform Medical College of Georgia in Macon, and in 1850, at the age of nineteen, he was licensed to practice pharmacy however his main talent was chemistry Shortly thereafter, he met Ann Eliza Clifford Lewis of Columbus, Georgia, known to her friends as "Cliff", who had been a student at the Wesleyan College in Macon. They were married in Columbus in 1853. Their only child, Charles Ney Pemberton, was born in 1854. They lived in the Pemberton House in Columbus.

During the American Civil War, Pemberton served in the Third Cavalry Battalion of the Georgia State Guard, which was at that time a component of the Confederate army. He achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In April 1865, Pemberton sustained a saber wound to the chest during the Battle of Columbus. He soon became addicted to the morphine used to ease his pain.

In 1866, seeking a cure for his addiction, he began to experiment with painkillers that would serve as opium-free alternatives to morphine. His first recipe was "Dr. Tuggle's Compound Syrup of Globe Flower", in which the active ingredient was derived from the buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)", a toxic plant which is common in Alaska. He next began experimenting with coca and coca wines, eventually creating a recipe which contained extracts of kola nut and damiana, which he called Pemberton's French Wine Coca.