Charles T Pepper

Early life

Pepper was born in Big Spring, Virginia, on December 2, 1830. His parents were John Pepper and Mary Robertson Pepper and he was their 12th child. Pepper attended the University of Virginia for medical training and received a degree in 1855.

Mid-life

Pepper married Isabella Howe (1838–1903) of Rural Retreat on May 18, 1858, in Pulaski County, Virginia. She was a cousin to Governor James Hoge Tyler. They had five children that were all born in Rural Retreat. Four of their children grew to adulthood. Their children were William Howe (b. April 11, 1859); Charles Robertson (b. November 14, 1862); Mary Margaret (1865–1867); Lewis Ervin (b. February 14, 1872); and Ruth McDowell (b. August 20, 1874).

Career

Pepper was a practicing physician from 1856 to 1896. He was a Confederate surgeon during the American Civil War and practiced at Emory and Henry College from 1862 to 1865 – the college was commandeered by the Confederate States of America and used as a hospital. After the war he moved to Bristol, Tennessee, where he practiced as a medical doctor. In 1879 he moved near Rural Retreat, Virginia, and built a home that he named Grassland. He practiced as a medical doctor there in Wythe County, Virginia, for decades. Pepper purchased a commercial building in downtown Rural Retreat that he converted into a doctor's office and a drug store. There he practiced medicine and sold medical supplies.

Supposedly, Pepper hired Wade Morrison in 1874, and Morrison worked for Pepper for a few years, leaving in 1880 to travel west. In Texas, Morrison obtained employment as a pharmacist in Austin and then later in Round Rock. Morrison moved around Texas, ending in Waco. In 1882 he bought John W. Castles's drug store in downtown Waco. In 1885, Morrison employed pharmacist Charles C. Alderton. Alderton, of New York State, went to school in England, gaining knowledge of carbonated beverages. Morrison and Alderton mixed carbonated water, fruit juices, and sugar to produce a soft drink that had an unusual taste. It was eventually called a "Waco" – the customers at the drug store would order this drink saying, shoot a Waco. The drink's popularity begat the need for an official name. During the later part of the nineteenth century it was common practice to name a product with the prefix Dr. to make it sound healthful; E.g., Dr. Davis's Liver Pills, Dr. Bell's Never-Failing Wonder Mixture for Chills and Fevers, Dr. Chandler's Hemlock Plaster, and Dr. Able's Compound Honey of Tar and Lemon. Carbonated drinks were considered healthful, so the Waco drink was given a name that sounded medicinal. Based on this tradition, Morrison labeled the drink Dr. Pepper, taking the name from his previous employer in Virginia.

However, the assertion that Morrison was employed by Pepper, and named the drink after him, is disputed. Milly Walker, Collections Manager / Curator for the Dublin (Texas) Dr Pepper Bottling Co. Museum, has said, "There is not one piece of evidence that Morrison ever worked for Dr. Charles T. Pepper in Rural Retreat".

Civic affairs

Pepper and his wife were heavily involved in civic affairs and the Presbyterian Church at Rural Retreat. From time to time provided needed free medical attention to the poor.

Later life and death

Pepper's son, Louis, was the editor of the Evening Bee of Danville when he received word that Mrs. Pepper, his mother and Charles Pepper's wife, died on March 9, 1903. After a lingering illness, Dr. Pepper died on May 28, 1903, at his home.

Legacy

The Dr Pepper Museum in Waco has been told several versions of the story attributing the name of the drink to the medical doctor of Virginia. A few involve Pepper's daughter Ruth, who was born in 1874. It remains uncertain, however, which, if any, of these tales is the true origin of the name.