Between the Covers

Unbound. An archive of ephemera and photographs kept by Bennie T. Candler the wife of Coca-Cola heir, William Candler. The contents include letters, Coca-Cola stationary, postcards, and a folio album containing 542 sepia-toned or black and white photographs most measuring between 2" x 3" and 4" x 6", some with captions. All items are about very good with some chips, tears, on edgewear.

The collection documents this branch of Candler's family's life and business ventures between 1909 and 1937. William was the youngest son of Coca-Cola Company founder, Asa Candler. By the mid-1930s he was working for the company as Vice-President after staring in the mail room. Along with working for his father he also used his inheritance to invest in real-estate, eventually founding the Biltmore Hotel in Atlanta in 1924. According to the National Park Service, “The Atlanta Biltmore, once known as the South's supreme hotel, staged galas, tea dances, debutante balls, and recitals by visiting Metropolitan Opera stars.” It also housed celebrities such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mary Pickford, Bette Davis, and Charles Lindbergh, who stayed there on his return from his famous flight.

A large photo album is included here with images from travel and parties beginning in 1908. Walter Candler, William’s brother, graduated from Emory in 1907, a few of the pages include the caption, "scenes from Emory." A “Round the World” trip on the U.S.S. *Heredia* was taken by the Candler family to celebrate his graduation. The album is extensive with over 500 images and details the family’s trip which included a stop at the construction of the Panama Canal. The photos show various other stops on their journey featuring tourist attractions and local residents. One interesting image shows a Coca-Cola wagon in front of a sign for beer. The final pages of the album show the family in New Orleans and the California Coast.

Bennie and William were married in 1913. Much of the archive is paperwork and letters in the aftermath of William’s tragic death in a car accident in 1936 including printed appreciation cards from the “family of William Candler.” William had faced financial troubles with his hotel due to the Depression and leading up to his death he had been in touch with lawyers and banks to try to figure out a way to settle his million dollar debt. The paperwork present here involves lawyers, the Candler family, investors, and bank heads, among others, discussing ways to save the hotel and Bennie’s livelihood. One letter to Congressman A.J. Sabath from Horace Russell reads, “My friend, William Candler, was president and principal owner of the Atlanta-Biltmore Hotel Company, which borrowed $3,000,000 on the Atlanta-Biltmore Hotel and paid the debt down to about $1,000,000. He has been as badly treated as any owner I know in the United States…Mr. Candler is dead as a result of an automobile accident, but his wife and children and the bondholders are entitled to protection.” Another letter from a lawyer is addressed to George Spence, who was also in the car accident with William but survived. Other letters from the Candler family and Coca-Cola executives written on Coca-Cola stationary are sent to Bennie in response to various legal issues and company reorganization in the wake of William’s death.

According to historian Ann Uhry Abrams, Bennie “weighed down by debt and facing bankruptcy … proved herself a survivor.” She sold her home and took up residence in the Biltmore, taking over management of the hotel. The reorganization of the hotel is laid out in a briefing seen here. The Biltmore’s fortune took a turn by the end of the 1930s and Bennie operated the hotel for another 31 years. In 1955 she was named Atlanta’s Woman of the Year in Business.

An interesting collection of ephemera documenting a prominent Atlanta family and the woman who ultimately turned the family enterprise into a success.

Item #426548

Status: On Hold