"C" is for Coker, David Robert (1870-1938)

"C" is for Coker, David Robert (1870-1938). Businessman, plant breeder, philanthropist. Following his graduation from the University of South Carolina, Coker managed the J.L. Coker and Company. Illness led him to withdraw from the business and to focus on his first experiments with plant breeding. He saw a need not only for better seed to provide more productive crops but also for a change in the attitude from traditional to more modern methods of farming. This dual focus led to the subsequent development of the Coker’s Pedigreed Seed Company in 1913 with Coker as president. He was active in the community as mayor of Hartsville, newspaper editor, and an original member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. David Robert Coker was a trustee and major benefactor of Coker College and his alma mater.