Atlanta's Woodruff

The White Motor Co. is located at Cleveland, its products sell from $1,545 to $8,000. The headquarters of the Coca-Cola Co. are in Atlanta, Ga., its products sell from 5-c- to 10-c-. Yet these two $50,000,000 companies have long had something in common and last week that bond was strengthened.

President of White Motor Co. and a director of Coca-Cola was, until his death last fortnight (TIME, Oct. 7), Walter C. White. President of Coca-Cola Co. was his great & good friend, Robert W. Woodruff, also a director of White. Last week Mr. Woodruff was elected president of White, told pleased directors he would manage both companies simultaneously, adding "I'll live in a Pullman car, I guess. I've lived almost entirely in one for the last several years anyway." Although Mr. Woodruff, 40, was 13 years younger than Walter White, the two men were famed friends, enjoyed the same things in and out of office. Between them was almost a dual management of Coca-Cola and White. For this reason White shareholders were pleased at the directors' choice for president, knowing profitable White policies would be continued. The first statement of the new president confirmed this, saying, "The White Motor Co. is enjoying prosperity at this time, as a result of Mr. White's able leadership. . . . Our position of leadership in the truck and bus field has been strengthened. . . ."

President Woodruff's experience with White Motor Co., goes back to 1913 when at the age of 24 he became a salesman in the Atlanta office. Previous Woodruff occupations had included being an apprentice and machinist in a foundry, a shipping clerk and city salesman in a fire extinguisher company, a purchasing agent for a coal and ice concern. Once with White, Salesman Woodruff's route became less devious, more rapid. After being made assistant to President White, he became general manager and vice president, relinquishing the managership when in 1923 he became president of Coca-Cola Co.

Atlantans, proud of the Woodruff record, point out that at 33 he was the youngest president of a large U. S. corporation, at 40 holds a position entirely unique. Watching his method of handling men, which consists of issuing few orders, making subordinates think, they call him "more thoroughly representative of the new style southern industrial leader than any other man."