James Lide Coker | S.C. Hall of Fame

Born January 3, 1837, in Society Hill, James Lide Coker was a farmer, soldier, businessman, merchant, banker, railroad man, and industrialist. He was a planter in Hartsville until the Civil War began. He entered the infantry and was wounded in October 1863, at the Battle of Chickamauga. After spending time as a prisoner of war, he returned home with a shattered hip. He introduced scientific principles to farming and established the Southern Novelty Company in 1899. The company's primary product was paper cones for yarns used in textile mills. Today, this company is Sonoco, a global provider of packaging products and services.

This profile looks at Coker as a visionary and innovator who helped bring scientific principles to farming and began a company that today is an international example for recycling.

James Lide Coker IV, great-grandson, is featured in the program.

CREDIT: Historical footage and photographs courtesy of Coker College and Sonoco.

Standards

• 5.1.CO Compare the physical landscape and demographics of the U.S. before and after the Transcontinental Railroad.
• 5.1.CX Contextualize how the Second Industrial Revolution led to an increased desire for raw materials and the United States involvement in imperialistic efforts and economic expansion.
• 5.1.CC Summarize how imperialism and economic expansion impacted the experiences of different groups and shaped American cultural identities.
• 8.5.P Analyze the transformation of South Carolina’s economy from the Great Depression to its current economic diversification.
• This indicator was designed to promote inquiry into the devastation of the Great Depression and the impact of the New Deal on a largely agricultural South Carolina. This indicator was also designed to foster inquiry into the economic diversification between World War II and the present, to include tourism, global trade and industry, and the maintenance of military bases.

Resources