James F. Johnston
James Francis Johnston (born 31 August 1865) was an American businessman and the founder of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the first Coca-Cola franchisee.[1] Johnston was raised in Bradley County, Tennessee.[2] He was the son of Sarah Amelia Tucker and James Miller Johnston.[3] By the late 1880s, Johnston was engaged in business at Pocatello, Bingham, Idaho, with his brother-in-law James H. Bible, and his future brother-in-law John Guthrie Brown. The company was Bible, Brown, and Johnston and advertised as "Indian Traders."[4] Johnston returned to Tennessee and married Margaret Key on 9 January 1896.[5] In 1901, Johnston, along with Benjamin Thomas, began operations of the first Coca-Cola Bottling franchise in Chattanooga, Tennessee, serving parts of Tennessee and other nearby locations.[1] Johnston died on 26 February 1930 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Coca-Cola Enterprises: Cola-Cola History Archived 2015-02-15 at the Wayback Machine". Archived from the original on 15 February 2015.
- ^ "1880 US Census, at FamilySearch.org".
- ^ "Person Identifier Number KC55-DLQ, on FamilySearch.org".
- ^ "Bible, Brown, and Johnston, Indian Traders". Idaho News. 19 May 1888. p. 5. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Hamilton County, Tennessee, Marriage Records".
- ^ "Death Certificate of James F. Johnston".