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Colonel Sanders

Colonel Sanders

Net Worth

$10,000,000

Born in (City)

Indiana

Born in (Country)

USA

Date of Birth

09th December, 1890

Date of Death

16th December, 1980

Mother

Margaret Ann Sanders

Father

Wilbur David Sanders

Children

  • Mildred Sanders Ruggles
  • Harland Sanders, Jr.
  • Margaret Sanders

About

Colonel Sanders is probably the most recognizable icon in fast food history. His face — which is now synonymous with fried chicken across America and the wider world — has been a part of the KFC brand since KFC was a thing, and it’s hard to imagine the company without its treasured mascot. Although his face is practically everywhere, however, most people don’t know too much about the man himself. Much of what you may have heard — that he attempted suicide after a series of business failures, that he once tried to kidnap his own daughter, that he eventually retired a billionaire — is little more than myth, perpetuated across the internet for the purpose of inspiring LinkedIn entrepreneurs and bored Baby Boomers on Facebook

Early Life

Colonel Sanders was born in 1890 on a little farm in Henryville, Indiana. His father, Wilbert Sanders, died only five years later, forcing his mother to take work at a local tomato canning factory and sewing for nearby families, often away for days at a time. In the meantime, Sanders, who was the oldest of three siblings, was forced to take care of the home and his family — this is when he started to develop his cooking skills. At the age of 10, he took his first job at a local farm. When Sanders was 12, his mother remarried and took her children to live with her new husband in the suburbs outside of Indianapolis. His relationship with his new stepfather was strained, to say the least, and the two fought often. Finally, at the age of 13, things came to a head at home and Sanders was sent back to Clark County, where the family had first lived. Over the next 28 years, Sanders would take on an incredible number of different jobs across the American south. These included a brief stint in the U.S. Army (during which he was sent to Cuba), as well as working as a streetcar conductor, a railroad fireman, an insurance salesman, a secretary, a tire salesman, a ferry operator, a lawyer, and even a brief stint as a midwife (really!). Some of his career highlights included getting into a fistfight with his own client during a court case and leaving the ferry business after the construction of a nearby bridge put him out of work. As he left his youth and entered middle-age, it became increasingly likely that Sanders would never achieve the success which his hard work demanded.

Road to Success

Colonel Sanders ran a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky. To make ends meet, he began to cook and sell meals for weary travelers who stopped at the station. His food, which usually consisted of pan-fried chicken, ham, string beans, okra and hot biscuits, garnered him something of a reputation in the region for his skills as a chef. It wasn’t glamorous work, but it landed Sanders the one thing he’d never found in his life: success. It was a modest yet satisfying life for the Colonel. A few years later, he took out the gas pumps and set up his first restaurant. By this time, Sanders had begun to perfect the recipe for chicken which is still closely guarded by KFC today. His winning streak grew even hotter in 1939, when he developed a method of cooking chicken via a pressure cooker which cut down on grease and preserved flavor, moisture, and texture without sacrificing cooking time. For over a decade, Sanders’ restaurant prospered — but another bout of tragedy waited on the horizon. By 1964, he had franchised over 600 outlets and built a company worth millions of dollars. Although, at that time there weren’t actually any Kentucky Fried Chicken locations, only restaurants that sold their chicken.

Challenges

Sanders, who believed KFC to be his own child, remained hesitant. He, Brown and Massey toured the country, consulting family members and business associates. In 1964, he gave in to their offer of $2 million. Sanders would receive a down payment of $50,000 in the sale, the company’s assets in Canada, and a lifetime salary of $40,000 per year. To get it all, though, he had sacrificed the most important thing in his life — and no indication exists that he was ever truly happy with the deal. Sanders, who believed KFC to be his own child, remained hesitant. He, Brown and Massey toured the country, consulting family members and business associates. In 1964, he gave in to their offer of $2 million. Sanders would receive a down payment of $50,000 in the sale, the company’s assets in Canada, and a lifetime salary of $40,000 per year. To get it all, though, he had sacrificed the most important thing in his life — and no indication exists that he was ever truly happy with the deal.

Failures

Sanders chose to open a new restaurant which he named Colonel Sanders’ Dinner House. KFC posited that they owned the rights to his name and threatened legal action KFC insisted they owned the rights to the word "colonel." Sanders then decided to sue the company he began — for $122 million. KFC responded by suing him for trademark infringement. They settled in 1975 and the terms have not been disclosed. He got in trouble with the company again in 1978, when he gave a newspaper interview complaining the gravy now tasted like "wallpaper paste" and the new chicken recipe was horrible. The franchise where he gave the interview tried to sue him for libel, but since he was talking about the whole company and not just one location, the judge threw it out.

Achievements

In 1939, KFC awarded as Adventures in Good Eating by food critic Duncan Hines|In 1974, Sanders published his autobiography 'Life As I Have Known It Has Been Finger Lickin' Good' awarded as the Best Selling Book of that time|In 1965, Colonel Sanders was the recipient of the Horatio Alger Award|In 1976, the Colonel was named world's second most recognizable celebrity.|In 2019, KFC awarded as Use of Social Media Shortlist Winner from Wieden + Kennedy United States by D&AD Awards

Quotes

  • One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping stone to something better.
  • I’ve only had two rules. Do all you can and do it the best you can.
  • The hard way builds solidly a foundation of confidence that cannot be swept away.