John Thomas Lupton
Encyclopedia
John Thomas Lupton was an American
lawyer
, industrialist and philanthropist
who along with Benjamin Thomas
and Joseph Whitehead
, obtained exclusive rights from Asa Candler to bottle and sell Coca-Cola
.
and received a degree in law from the University of Virginia
. After a visit to the home of a fellow student, he settled in Chattanooga, Tennessee
in 1887.
Lupton soon met Elizabeth Patten, daughter of Chattem
founder Zeboim Cartter Patten
, and they married on November 14, 1889. They had a son named Cartter Lupton
, to whom they left the bulk of their combined wealth.
), eventually becoming company vice president and treasurer.
Lupton, Whitehead and Thomas
were the primary investor
s in the Dixie Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the first Coca-Cola bottling plant in the United States. Following the business' rapid success, the partners divided the country into territories and gave various family members responsibility over them and began selling bottling franchises
. By 1909, nearly 400 bottling operations had been opened. Lupton's grandson sold the family's bottling operations back to Coca Cola in 1986 for $1.4 billion in cash.
in Chattanooga, Oglethorpe University
and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
all have named buildings on their campuses in his honor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, industrialist and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
who along with Benjamin Thomas
Benjamin Thomas (Coca-Cola bottler)
Benjamin Franklin Thomas was a Chattanooga, Tennessee businessman and industrialist who pioneered the development of the Coca-Cola bottling industry and founded the Coca-Cola Bottling Company....
and Joseph Whitehead
Joseph Whitehead (Coca-Cola bottler)
Joseph Whitehead was a lawyer, who, along with Benjamin Thomas and John Thomas Lupton, obtained exclusive rights from Asa Candler to bottle and sell Coca-Cola.-Early life:Whitehead was born in Oxford, Mississippi in the year 1864...
, obtained exclusive rights from Asa Candler to bottle and sell Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
.
Early life
Lupton was born near Winchester, VirginiaWinchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
and received a degree in law from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. After a visit to the home of a fellow student, he settled in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
in 1887.
Lupton soon met Elizabeth Patten, daughter of Chattem
Chattem
Chattem is a Chattanooga, Tennessee, producer and marketer of over-the-counter healthcare products, toiletries, dietary supplements, topical analgesics, and medicated skin care products...
founder Zeboim Cartter Patten
Zeboim Cartter Patten
Zeboim Cartter Patten was an American industrialist, capitalist, and American Civil War captain, born in Wilna, New York, who lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee and founded the Volunteer Life Insurance Company , The Stone Fort Land Company , The T.H...
, and they married on November 14, 1889. They had a son named Cartter Lupton
Cartter Lupton
T. Cartter Lupton was an American businessman and Coca-Cola Bottling Company magnate who lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee and founded the Lyndhurst Foundation . He was the only child of John Thomas Lupton and Elizabeth Patten, and was married to Margaret Rawlings Lupton...
, to whom they left the bulk of their combined wealth.
Career
After his marriage, Lupton took a job as legal counsel to the Chattanooga Medicine Company (now ChattemChattem
Chattem is a Chattanooga, Tennessee, producer and marketer of over-the-counter healthcare products, toiletries, dietary supplements, topical analgesics, and medicated skin care products...
), eventually becoming company vice president and treasurer.
Lupton, Whitehead and Thomas
Benjamin Thomas (Coca-Cola bottler)
Benjamin Franklin Thomas was a Chattanooga, Tennessee businessman and industrialist who pioneered the development of the Coca-Cola bottling industry and founded the Coca-Cola Bottling Company....
were the primary investor
Investor
An investor is a party that makes an investment into one or more categories of assets --- equity, debt securities, real estate, currency, commodity, derivatives such as put and call options, etc...
s in the Dixie Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the first Coca-Cola bottling plant in the United States. Following the business' rapid success, the partners divided the country into territories and gave various family members responsibility over them and began selling bottling franchises
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
. By 1909, nearly 400 bottling operations had been opened. Lupton's grandson sold the family's bottling operations back to Coca Cola in 1986 for $1.4 billion in cash.
Philanthropy
Lupton was a significant contributor to a number of southern schools, colleges and universities; Baylor SchoolBaylor School
Baylor School is a private, coeducational prep school on the outskirts of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The school was founded in 1893 and since 1915 has been located on the same hillside site by the Tennessee River. The school went through several incarnations: moving from an all-male military academy...
in Chattanooga, Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University is a private liberal arts college in Brookhaven, Georgia, an inner suburb of Atlanta. It was chartered in 1835 and named after James Edward Oglethorpe, the state's founder.-History:...
and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a public university located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The University, often referred to as UTC or simply "Chattanooga" , is one of three universities and two other affiliated institutions in the University of Tennessee System; the others being in...
all have named buildings on their campuses in his honor.
See also
- Cartter LuptonCartter LuptonT. Cartter Lupton was an American businessman and Coca-Cola Bottling Company magnate who lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee and founded the Lyndhurst Foundation . He was the only child of John Thomas Lupton and Elizabeth Patten, and was married to Margaret Rawlings Lupton...
- Zeboim Cartter PattenZeboim Cartter PattenZeboim Cartter Patten was an American industrialist, capitalist, and American Civil War captain, born in Wilna, New York, who lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee and founded the Volunteer Life Insurance Company , The Stone Fort Land Company , The T.H...
- Benjamin ThomasBenjamin Thomas (Coca-Cola bottler)Benjamin Franklin Thomas was a Chattanooga, Tennessee businessman and industrialist who pioneered the development of the Coca-Cola bottling industry and founded the Coca-Cola Bottling Company....
- Joseph WhiteheadJoseph Whitehead (Coca-Cola bottler)Joseph Whitehead was a lawyer, who, along with Benjamin Thomas and John Thomas Lupton, obtained exclusive rights from Asa Candler to bottle and sell Coca-Cola.-Early life:Whitehead was born in Oxford, Mississippi in the year 1864...
- Lyndhurst FoundationLyndhurst FoundationThe Lyndhurst Foundation is a Chattanooga, Tennessee-based grant-making foundation organized in 1938 as The Memorial Welfare Foundation by Coca-Cola Bottling Company magnate Cartter Lupton...
- Coca-Cola Bottling Company