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© History Oasis
Note: We couldn’t find the CEO(s) who served between Vogtle’s retirement in 1983 and Ratcliffe’s appointment in 2004. If you know, please reach out!
1947-1950
World War II had just ended, and America needed to rebuild. Eugene Yates stepped into an impossible task—creating a brand-new utility company from the pieces of a dissolved holding company.
Yates was tasked with reviving four separate Southern utilities into one cohesive powerhouse.
The founder of the Southern Company architected the future of Southern electricity. His masterstroke? Creating Southern Company Services, the backbone that would let Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida utilities share resources like never before.
In just three years, he laid the foundation for what would become one of America’s largest utilities.
1950-1969
Eugene McManus inherited the Southern Company. He left behind a philosophy.
Before McManus, utilities and government were adversaries. He changed everything with a radical idea: cooperation over confrontation.
McMaunus’s idea was to supply municipalities and rural cooperatives at cost. Unheard of in the industry at the time.
The result? National recognition as the utility executive who “got it.” While other companies fought regulations, McManus embraced them. His 19-year tenure proved that sometimes, playing nice pays off in ways Wall Street can’t measure.
1957-1971
If Southern Company had a golden age, Harllee Branch was its king.
The Numbers Tell the Story:
Every. Single. Year. For. A. Decade.
Branch didn’t just manage growth; he orchestrated an industrial symphony. Twenty-one steam plants, thirty hydroelectric projects, and the kind of consistent profitability that made investors weep with joy.
The 1960s were good for America. But they were phenomenal for the Southern Company.
1969-1983
Some CEOs have MBAs. Alvin Vogtle had something better: unbreakable resilience.
Shot down over North Africa in 1943, this future CEO spent years in German POW camps. But here’s some interesting trivia: he helped plan the “Great Escape” that inspired the Steve McQueen movie.
Four escape attempts. One success. Zero quit on him.
When the 1970s energy crisis hit America like a sledgehammer, Vogtle barely flinched. While other utilities scrambled, Southern Company’s coal-heavy portfolio kept the lights on and continued to generate profits.
There is a leadership lesson here. Sometimes surviving impossible situations prepares you for merely difficult ones.
The Vogtle Nuclear Plant bears his name today. A fitting tribute to a man who never gave up.
1983-2004
Every great story has mysteries. Southern Company’s leadership includes a 21-year gap that we can’t seem to find anywhere.
Who led the company through the savings and loan crisis? The dot-com boom? September 11th?
The records remain elusive, but the company kept growing.
2004-2010
David Ratcliffe made the biggest bet in Southern Company history: nuclear power.
He had the vision to construct America’s first new nuclear reactors in 30+ years.
Starting as a biologist studying environmental impacts, Ratcliffe rose through the ranks with an audacious plan. While other utilities played it safe, Ratcliffe went all-in on atomic energy.
His Hurricane Katrina response became legendary—11,000 workers from 23 states restored Mississippi Power in just 12 days. Government officials took notes.
The nuclear bet? That would be his successors’ problem to finish.
2010-2023
If Southern Company were a reality TV show, Thomas Fanning’s 13-year tenure would be the dramatic season everyone talks about.
Fanning led the Southern Company through three disasters:
But he came up on top with three accomplishments:
Fanning proved you can fail spectacularly on massive projects and still be considered successful if you manage the aftermath well enough.
2023-Present
Some appointments are about qualifications. Others are about time.
Christopher Womack had both.
Womack became the first African American CEO of Southern Company. And the first African American CEO of any Fortune 500 company in Georgia.
Rising through 35 years at Southern Company, from governmental affairs to Georgia Power’s top job, Womack inherited a company finally free from its nuclear construction nightmare.
He continued to lead the company’s clean energy transition while maintaining Southern’s legendary reliability.
The story is just beginning, but the symbolism is already written. In an industry built by white executives for over a century, change has finally reached the C-suite.
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