Colonel Harland David Sanders was an American businessman, best known for founding fast food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken. He began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in North Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. Sanders recognized the potential of the restaurant franchising concept, and the first KFC franchise opened in South Salt Lake, Utah in 1952. In 1964, then 73 years old, he sold the company to a group of investors led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack C. Massey for USD 2 million. However, he retained control of operations in Canada, and he became a salaried brand ambassador for Kentucky Fried chicken.
About Colonel Sanders in brief
Colonel Harland David Sanders was an American businessman, best known for founding fast food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken. Sanders held a number of jobs in his early life, such as steam engine stoker, insurance salesman and filling station operator. He began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in North Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. Sanders recognized the potential of the restaurant franchising concept, and the first KFC franchise opened in South Salt Lake, Utah in 1952. The company’s rapid expansion across the United States and overseas became overwhelming for Sanders. In 1964, then 73 years old, he sold the company to a group of investors led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack C. Massey for USD 2 million. However, he retained control of operations in Canada, and he became a salaried brand ambassador for Kentucky Fried chicken. In his later years, he became highly critical of the food served by KFC restaurants, as he believed they had cut costs and allowed quality to deteriorate. His name and image are still symbols of the company. The title ‘colonel’ was honorary – a Kentucky Colonel – not the military rank. Sanders’ mother was a devout Christian and strict parent, continuously warning her children of the evils of alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and whistling on Sundays. His father was a mild and affectionate man who worked his 80-acre farm, until he broke his leg after a fall.
He then worked as a butcher in Henryville for two years. In 1903, he dropped out of seventh grade, and went to live and work on a nearby farm. At age 13, he left home. When he was 14, he moved to southern Indiana to work as a farmhand. He also left school at 12 to support his family as well. In 1906, with his mother’s approval, Sanders left the area to live with his uncle in New Albany, Indiana. Sanders falsified his date of birth and enlisted in the U.S. Army in October 1906, completing his service commitment as a wagoner in Cuba. He was honorably discharged in February 1907 and moved to Sheffield, Alabama, where his uncle lived. There, he met his brother Clarence, who had also moved there in order to escape their stepfather. He worked the job for nearly three years until he was fired forubordination after he got sick. While working on the Norfolk and Western Railway from the Western Railway in 1910, Sanders met and married Joseph King of Jasper, Alabama. They would go on to have a son, Josephland Jr., who died in 1932 from infected tonsils, and two daughters, Mildred and Mildred Ruggles. Sanders then found work as fireman on the Illinois Central Railroad and he and his family moved to Jackson, Tennessee. By the night of the night, Sanders lost his job after brawling with a colleague. He studied law by correspondence through the La Salle University in Illinois.
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This page is based on the article Colonel Sanders published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 09, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
