Asa Griggs Candler Sr. (December 30, 1851 – March 12, 1929) was an American business tycoon and politician who in 1888 purchased the Coca-Cola recipe for $238.98[1] from chemist John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia.

[2][3][4][5][6] Prominent among civic leaders of Atlanta, Candler was elected and served as the 41st mayor of the city, from 1916 to 1919.

[7][8] His parents raised eleven children, including Asa and his brother Warren Akin Candler.

[9] Samuel Charles Candler was a member of the legislature of South Carolina, and fought in the Creek War of 1836.

[14] At first, the company advertised Coca-Cola as a drink that relieved mental and physical fatigue, and cured headaches.

[13] In 1916, after Candler was elected mayor of Atlanta, he ended his day-to-day management of the Coca-Cola Company.

It still stands at Peachtree and Auburn streets and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, significant for its architectural detail and role as a company symbol.

As mayor he balanced the city budget and coordinated rebuilding efforts after the Great Atlanta fire of 1917 destroyed 1,500 homes.

Candler's later mansion, built in 1916 at 1500 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Druid Hills, was later adapted for use as the John Chrysostom Melkite Greek Catholic Church.