Problem Child
Pemberton hoped his product to be passed down in his family and wanted to give his son Charles some ownership of the company. The physician maintained that his son had ownership of the name, but other companies were allowed to use the formula. Chandler ultimately bought our Charles share, and she was happy to do so. Charles didn’t have the best reputation and turned out to be trouble.
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In Pendergrast’s book, Charles was described as argumentative and prone to drinking. According to several reports, Charles was found dead in 1894 with opium next to him. Unfortunately, Pemberton’s wife got no benefit from the Company’s huge success. She lived the rest of her life with no family and in deep financial struggles.