James Francis Johnston (31 August 1865 – 26 February 1930) was an American businessman and the founder of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the first Coca-Cola franchisee.[1] Johnston was raised in Bradley County, Tennessee.[2] He was the son of Sarah Amelia Tucker and James Miller Johnston.[3] By the late 1880s, Johnston was engaged in business at Pocatello, Bingham, Idaho, with his brother-in-law James H. Bible, and his future brother-in-law John Guthrie Brown. The company was Bible, Brown, and Johnston and advertised as "Indian Traders."[4] Johnston returned to Tennessee and married Margaret Key on 9 January 1896.[5] In 1901, Johnston, along with Benjamin Thomas, began operations of the first Coca-Cola Bottling franchise in Chattanooga, Tennessee, serving parts of Tennessee and other nearby locations.[1] Johnston died on 26 February 1930 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[6]