William J. Hobbs

William J. Hobbs (1903 – July 12, 1977) was an American businessman who served as the president of The Coca-Cola Company from 1946 until 1952.

Early life

Hobbs was born in 1903 in Wilmington, North Carolina. He attended Duke University and received a law degree from the Washington College of Law. While at Duke, he became friends with his classmate Billy Werber.

Career

In 1927, Hobbs became the advertising manager of The Washington Post. In the 1930s, he joined the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, and later worked at King & Spalding. In 1942, Hobbs joined the Coca-Cola Company as assistant counsel for the legal department and was later elected a vice president.

In 1945, Mr. Hobbs transferred to the company's overseas subsidiary, the Coca-Cola Export Corporation, serving as its president until May 1946, when he was elected president of the Coca‐Cola Company.

He resigned from the presidency in August 1952 and became a management and legal consultant for a number of companies. In 1953, he founded Furniture Craftsmen Inc., a manufacturing and retail business in Marietta, and was associated with his two sons in that business until his illness.