John Pemberton (physician)

John Stith Pemberton (July 8, 1831 – August 16, 1888) was an American pharmacist, and is best known for being the inventor of Coca-Cola.

Early life and education

Pemberton was born on July 8, 1831, in Knoxville, Georgia, and spent his childhood in Rome, Georgia. He entered the Reform Medical College of Georgia in Macon, Georgia, and in 1850, at the age of nineteen, he was licensed to practice pharmacy.

Career

After his graduation, Pemberton served in the Third Georgia Cavalry Battalion during the American Civil War. After the war, he decided to cease his medical practice and focus on his work in pharmacy. In the early 1860s, he moved to Atlanta, where he began work on patent medicines.

Pemberton is best known for the creation of the soft drink Coca-Cola, which he developed in response to the prohibition of alcoholic beverages in Atlanta in 1886. He intended it as a cure for a variety of ailments, including morphine addiction, indigestion, neurasthenia, and impotence.

Death and legacy

Pemberton died from stomach cancer in August 1888 at the age of 57. His legacy lives on through the continued worldwide popularity of his Coca-Cola beverage.

See also

• Coca-Cola
• Pharmacy
• American Civil War