by Dr. Robert Girard Carroon, PCinC, Adam P. Flint, PReginC,
& Keith Graham Harrison, PCinC
James Vernor Jr., also referred to as James Vernor II, served as Commander-in-Chief of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States during World War II. His term of service was 1942 to 1947. James, Jr. derived his Hereditary Companionship in the Loyal Legion from his father, Lieutenant James Vernor, Sr. The elder Vernor was born in Albany, New York on April 11, 1843 and moved as a small child with his parents to Detroit, Michigan. As a young man, in 1858, he got a job at the Higby and Stern’s drug store, where, as an apprentice, he learned the business and became a pharmacist. When the War of the Rebellion began, he enlisted as a Hospital Steward in the 4th Michigan Cavalry. He proved so adept at military science that he was promoted to Second Lieutenant and served to the end of the war. His unit, the 4th Michigan Cavalry, was in a number of engagements during the war and is credited with capturing Confederate President Jefferson Davis as he attempted to escape. Lieutenant. Vernor was discharged in 1865 and returned to Detroit, where he resumed his occupation.
Prior to his leaving for service in 1862, James had experimented with various flavored waters and drinks to serve at the soda fountain in his drugstore on Woodward Avenue. The legend is that he left a wooden keg filled with his latest fizz water formula in the basement of the pharmacy. When he returned and opened the keg he found it had turned into what is now called ginger ale and most historians credit him with its invention. His trade expanded at such a rate that he soon abandoned his drug store and went into the manufacturing of ginger ale on a full-time basis, although he was very proud of holding Michigan Pharmacy License #1 as long as he lived.
James Vernor, Sr., joined the Michigan Commandery (Insignia #4714) and was a legend in Detroit, serving for many years on the City Council and on dozens of boards of civic and philanthropic organizations. He served as president of the Vernor Company until his death on October 29, 1927, when his son, the subject of this biography, succeeded him as president of the firm.
Our subject was born on March 25, 1877, to James, Sr. and the former Emily Walker Smith. He joined his father in the operation of the Vernor Company and also in the Loyal Legion, being awarded Insignia #16905 upon joining the Michigan Commandery on December 11, 1913. Vernor’s Ginger Ale was tremendously popular throughout Michigan and much of the Midwest, and James Vernor, Jr. was a marketing genius who profited greatly through Vernor’s Ginger Ale, especially during Prohibition. Even during the Depression, when other soft drink companies went bankrupt, Vernor’s, as it was now called, made millions of dollars in profits. He saw the firm through World War II and faithfully served as president until his death.
Companion Vernor was very active in the Michigan Commandery for many years. Due to his prominence in the business world and the need of the Commandery-in-Chief to have an experienced and capable person in command, particularly during wartime, James Vernor Jr. was elected Commander-in-Chief in 1941. He was the first Commander-in-Chief to have never donned the uniform of the United States, but his service to the Order was distinguished, so much so, that he was reelected to his position. He was succeeded as Commander-ion-Chief in 1947 by Rear Admiral Reginald Rowan Belknap.
James Vernor, Jr. was twice married, first to the former Grayce Stoddard, from 1910 until her death in 1950 and then to Emma Fernande (nee Graf) Wolffsohn from 1952, until his death on April 11, 1954. He was buried next to his first wife at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan. James Vernor III was also a member of the Loyal Legion. He attended the Cranbrook Schools and Culver Military Academy. After graduating second in his class from CMA, he enrolled at Michigan State University. When World War II broke out, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves and assigned to the Coast Artillery. He served in the Aleutian Islands until September 1945 and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He joined Vernor’s as Vice President but did not long survive his father and died on April 9, 1957. James Vernor Davis, James Jr.’s nephew, became president of Vernor’s. James III’s son, named James Vernor IV (1940-2021) was a stockbroker in Birmingham, Michigan. His son and grandson, James Vernor V and James Vernor VI, continue on the family name set forth by Original Companion Vernor.
For many years the records of the Michigan Commandery were stored in Vernor’s warehouse but are now distributed among the University of Michigan Library, Historic Fort Wayne, and the Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library. Many of these records have been digitized and can be viewed online. The family sold the company to an investor group in 1966, and after a series of acquisitions and divestitures, Vernors (without the apostrophe) is now, since 2018, a trademarked product of Keurig Dr. Pepper.