Since 1826

Company Leadership Over The Years

Nathan McFee

CEO

2022-Present

Charles M. Bentley

President & CEO

1983-2022

Mr. Bentley passed away in 2022.

Lamar Swift

President

XXXX - 1983

Mr. Swift passed away in 1983.

H.J. Lamar IV

CEO

September 25, 1941 -

Warren Roberts

President

September 25, 1941 -

W.D. Lamar

President

June 13, 1898 - July 1, 1919
January 28, 1920 - September 11, 1941

Mrs. F. L. Gately was acting President between terms.

Mrs. Lena B. Swift

President

June 14, 1897 - June 13, 1898

Charles Swift’s Widow

H.J. Lamar II

President

March 4, 1897 - June 14, 1897

J.W. Rankin

Director, Secretary, Manager

Jesse Willis: July 19, 1839 - February 25, 1892

Active: July 17, 1879 - February 25, 1892

H.J. Lamar

President

July 17, 1879 - December 25, 1896

Charles Thomas Swift

Founder & President

July 17, 1879 - December 30, 1890

Read Obituary

The Muscogee (Creek) Nation & Captain Irwin Dennard

Chances are the year 1826 doesn’t strike a deep historical chord in most Americans. But to the people at the S.S.S. Company, it’s one of the most significant dates in history. For it was in 1826 that the mighty Muscogee (Creek) Nation bequeathed a treasured remedy of theirs, now known as S.S.S. Tonic, to Captain Irwin Dennard of Perry, Georgia as a reward for having saved the life of one of their Chieftains.

Captain Dennard sold the formula to Colonel Charles T. Swift who also lived in Perry, Georgia. Colonel Swift formed a partnership with Colonel H.J. Lamar of Macon, Georgia to bottle and sell the Tonic. In 1873, Colonel H.J. Lamar, foreseeing Atlanta as the Metropolis of the south, the manufacturer of S.S.S. Tonic was moved to Atlanta. According to the Companys’ History, the S.S.S. stood for Swift’s Southern Specific in the earlier years.

SSS History of the company and its products - 1826-1942

Officers and Directors

1879 - 1942

Directors

Name	Start	End
H. J. Lamar	July 17, 1879	December 25, 1896
C. T. Swift	July 17, 1879	December 30, 1890
L. W. Hunt	July 17, 1879	July 31, 1880
J.W. Rankin	July 17, 1879	February 25, 1892
H.J. Lamar II	July 31, 1880	June 14, 1897
Jno. G. Burckhardt	March 1, 1892	November 6, 1912
W. A. Loyless	March 1, 1892	August 10, 1894
W. D. Lamar	March 4, 1897	July 1, 1919
Mrs. Fannie L. Rankin	June 14, 1897	June 13, 1899
Mrs. Lena B. Swift	June 16, 1897	June 13, 1893
H.J. Lamar II	June 13, 1892	July 3, 1909
Mrs. Lena B. Swift (Mrs. Huntley, 1900)	June 13, 1899	January 4, 1922
Mrs. Fannie L. Rankin (Mrs. Cately 1904)	June 28, 1900	January 25, 1922
R. L. Hood, Jr.	November 18, 1912	January 27, 1915
Henry J. Lamar III	January 26, 1916	January 20, 1919
Shorter Rankin	January 31, 1917	December 20, 1918
C. L. Getely	July 2, 1919	January 28, 1920
B. D. Lamar	Jan 28, 1920	September 11, 1941
Warren Roberts	Jan 28,1920	January 4, 1922
Eli S. Shorter	January 28, 1920	January 4, 1922
E. H. Cone	January 4, 1922	July 22, 1941
W. W. Banks	January 4, 1922	July 1, 1926
Judge A. S. Powell	January 4, 1922
M. C. King	January 25, 1922
L. D. Ricks	July 1, 1926	January 25, 1939
Warren Roberts	January 25, 1933
F.D. Subank	January 25, 1933
F. B. Cranberry	January 25, 1939
J.C. Bagwell	January 25, 1939
Henry J. Lamar IV	September 25, 1941

Chairman, Board of Directors

Name	Start	End
E.H. Cone	January 4, 1922	July 22, 1941
M.C. King	September 25, 1941

Executive Committee

Name	Start
Warren Roberts	September 25, 1941
M.C. King	September 25, 1941
F.D. Subank	September 25, 1941

Vice-President

Name	Start	End
C.T. Swift	July 17, 1879	December 30, 1890
Jno. G. Burckhardt	March 1, 1892	June 14, 1897
Mrs. Fannie L. Rankin	June 14, 1897	June 13, 1898
H.J. Lamar II	June 13, 1898	June 13. 1899
Mrs. Lena B. Swift (Mrs. Huntley, 1900)	June 13, 1899	January 28, 1913
Mrs. Fannie Lamar Gately	January 26, 1913	January 27, 1915

First Vice-President

Name	Start	End
Mrs. Fannie Lamar Gately	January 27, 1915	January 25, 1922

Second Vice-President

Name	Start	End
Mrs. Lena S. Huntley	January 27, 1915	January 4, 1922

Third Vice-President

Name	Start	End
Henry J. Lamar III	January 26, 1916	January 20, 1919

Fourth Vice-President

Name	Start	End
Shorter Rankin	January 31, 1917	December 20, 1916

Vice-President

Name	Start	End
Judge A. S. Powell	January 25, 1922	January 30, 1940
E.H. Cone	January 30, 1940	July 22, 1941
N. D. Eubank	September 25, 1941

Executive Manager

Name	Start	End
E.H. Cone	March 28, 1922	July 22, 1941

Secretary

Name	Start	End
J.W. Rankin	July 17, 1879	February 25, 1892
W. A. Loyless	March 1, 1892	August 10, 1894
Jno. G. Burckhardt	June 14, 1897	June 28, 1900
Mrs. F. L. Rankin (Mrs. Gately, 1904)	June 28, 1900	June 13, 1910
Jno. G. Burckhardt	June 13, 1910	November 6, 1912
R. L. Hood, Jr.	November 18, 1912	January 27, 1915
J. E. Dickey	January 27, 1915	May 31, 1917
J. M. Harrison	May 31, 1917	July 5, 1919
L. P. Howard (Acting)	July 1, 1919	July 7, 1919
L. P. Howard	July 7, 1919	May 1, 1921
J. C. Pagwell	May 1, 1921

Treasurer

Name	Start	End
L. W. Hunt	July 17, 1879	July 31, 1880
H. J. Lamar II	July 31, 1880	March 4, 1897
W. D. Lamar	March 4, 1897	June 13, 1898
Mrs. F. L. Rankin	June 13, 1898	June 13, 1899
H. J. Lamar II	June 13, 1899	July 3, 1909
Mrs. F. L. Gately	July 3, 1909	January 28, 1913
Mrs. Lena Swift Huntley	January 28, 1913	January 27, 1915
J. B. Dickey	January 27, 1915	May 31, 1917
J. M. Harrison	May 31, 1917	May 31, 1919
L. P. Howard	July 7, 1919	May 1, 1921
J. C. Bagwell	May 1, 1921	January 25, 1922
W. F. Banks	January 25, 1922	July 1, 1926
M. C. King	July 1, 1926	January 28, 1942
J. C. Bagwell	January 28, 1942

Assistant-Treasurer

Name	Start	End
J. C. Bagwell	January 25, 1938	January 28, 1942

Manager

Name	Start	End
J. W. Rankin	July 17, 1879	February 25, 1882
W. A. Loyless	March 1, 1882	August 10, 1894
Jno. G. Burckhardt	June 14, 1897	November 6, 1912
R. L. Hood, Jr.	November 18, 1912	February 17, 1915
Jno. F. Timmons	June 14, 1915	August 4, 1915
W. Frank Smith	September 15, 1915	September 25, 1917
W. S. Eakin (Acting)	December 20, 1918	July 1, 1919
W. S. Elkin, Jr.	July 1, 1919	April 28, 1920
J. C. Bagwell	August 24, 1920	March 22, 1921
K. R. Cranberry	March 22, 1921

Assistant Manager

Name	Start	End
J. M. Swift	July 23, 1903	November 1, 1904
R. S. Rankin	January 27, 1915	January 31, 1917
J. C. Bagwell	January 28, 1920	August 24, 1920
J. C. Bagwell	March 22, 1921	May 1, 1921

In Memoriam

Name	Start	End
Charles Thomas Swift	December 10, 1836	December 30, 1890
Jesse Willis Rankin	July 19, 1839	February 26, 1892
Henry J. Lamar I	March 21, 1825	December 25, 1896
Jack T. Lamar	May 16, 1856	December 30, 1903
Henry J. Lamar II	January 27, 1852	July 3, 1909
Mrs. Valerie Lamar Harriss
Walter D. Lamar II	April 10, 1892	December 8, 1914
Eli Shorter Rankin	June 1, 1891	February 20, 1918
Henry J. Lamar III	January 9, 1881	January 20, 1919
Mrs. Wylene Lamar Shorter	March 28, 1861	January 12, 1927
Chas. Thomas Swift, Jr.	November 12, 1890	January 20, 1931
Mrs. Corinne Swift Buchanan	April 18, 1881	December 3, 1931
Mrs. Lena Swift Huntley	July 25, 1857	May 18, 1934
Charles Lincoln Gately	September 5, 1830	June 13, 1934
Claude E. Buchanan, Jr.	April 25, 1911	June 21, 1934
Mrs. Fannie Lamar Gately	August 24, 1859	October 7, 1934
Eli S. Shorter	April 18, 1891	December 21, 1934
Mrs. Jack T. Lamar	April 4, 1860	November 17, 1937
Walter Douglas Lamar	August 21, 1883	September 11, 1941
Mrs. Lena Swift Jones (Daughter of Charles & Lena)	August 6, 1883	March 14, 1942