Charles Leiper Grigg (May 11, 1868 – April 16, 1940) was an American businessman who invented

7 Up 7 Up (stylized as 7UP worldwide) or Seven Up is an American brand of Lemon-lime drink, lemon-lime–flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The brand and formula are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, although the beverage is internationally distributed ...

, once known as ''7Up Lithiated Lemon Soda'', in October 1929.Chapter 1Chapter 2
/ref> Grigg became acquainted with the

carbonated beverage A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a class of non-alcoholic drink, usually (but not necessarily) carbonated, and typically including added sweetener. Flavors used to be natural, but now can also be artificial. The sweeten ...

business after moving to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. Prior to inventing 7 Up, Grigg had created an orange soft drink named "Whistle" for the

Vess Vess Soda is a brand of soft drink manufactured and distributed primarily in the St. Louis, Missouri, United States metropolitan area and recently in Canada through Dollarama and Giant Tiger locations. The company was founded in 1916 by Sylv ...

Soda Company. It is still made and sold in St. Louis.

History

Charles Leiper Grigg was born in 1868 in Prices Branch, Missouri to Charles L. S. Grigg (1822–1883) and Mary Elizabeth Leiper Grigg (1839–1890). At the age of 22, Grigg moved to

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

and began working in the advertising field in which he was introduced to the carbonated beverage business through the various agencies he was partnered. By 1919, Charles Leiper Grigg was working as a salesman for a manufacturing company owned by Vess Jones. It was there that Grigg invented and marketed his first soft drink called "Whistle". The success of the drink led to his promotion to the position of sales and marketing manager, however, eventually he and Vess came to loggerheads and Grigg left the company, leaving Whistle behind. He eventually settled at the Warner Jenkinson Company developing flavoring agents for soft drinks. It was at this time that Grigg invented then his second soft drink, an orange-flavored beverage with 14% sugar named "Howdy". He partnered with financier Edmund G. Ridgway and lawyer Frank Gladney and formed the Howdy Company. Based on the quality of the product and supported by Ridgway's financing, the company grew quickly, adding bottling companies anxious to sell the drink.

Personal life

Grigg was married to Lucy E. Alexander Grigg. Lucy and Charles had several children. He died on April 16, 1940, in St. Louis. Hamblett Charles Grigg, his son, succeeded him as the leader of 7 Up company.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grigg, Charles Leiper 1868 births 1940 deaths 20th-century American inventors Drink company founders Keurig Dr Pepper people People from St. Louis