Lots 976-1000 in this auction are associated with The White Motor Company and The Coca-Cola Company.

White Motor Company lead the U. S. in the design and production of gasoline-powered vehicles, especially trucks which Woodruff convinced the Army to purchase during World War I. This was a major transition from the horse-drawn carriages and wagons typically supplying the military and “these early White one- and three-ton trucks were the ones adopted as standard Army designs.”

Woodruff joined the White Motor Company which was based in Cleveland, Ohio in 1912, and as a “born” salesman he rose quickly to become its vice president and general manager in eleven years. During the First World War, Robert Woodruff worked at the U.S. Ordnance Department where “he promoted a truck design that only White Motors could fulfill, giving the company huge war-time sales.” The affection and esteem in which the White Motor Company executives held Woodruff is exemplified in two lots in this category: a biographical custom presentation of Woodruff’s life replete with black and white photographs of him throughout his “then” life, and custom 24k gold and vellum dedication signed by all the executives of the White Motor Company recognizing and highlighting his business acumen.

Ernest Woodruff, Robert’s father, was president of the Trust Company of Georgia when he purchased the Coca-Cola Company from Asa Candler in 1919. During the following three years, this new acquisition struggled to survive. Ernest, finally recognizing Robert’s business talents, brought him on board first as a director of Coca-Cola and then two months later as its president.

Robert Woodruff was the perfect fit. At his death, Coca-Cola revenues had reached $7.4 billion annually, and Coca-Cola sold in 155 foreign countries.

The rest is history.