Colonel Sanders was an American businessman best known as the founder of the fast food chicken restaurant chain KFC, also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken. He was the brand ambassador of the company and his name and image are still symbols of the company.
Contents
Quick Facts
| celebrated name: | Colonel Sanders |
|---|---|
| Real name/Full name: | Colonel Harland David Sanders |
| Sex: | Male |
| Age at death: | 90 years old |
| Date of birth: | September 9, 1890 |
| Date of death: | Dec 16, 1980 |
| Birthplace: | Henryville, Indiana, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 1.78 m |
| Weight: | 85 kg |
| Sexual orientation: | Straight ahead |
| Marital status: | Married |
| Wife/husband (name): | Claudia Price (m. 1948-1980), Josephine King (m. 1909-1947) |
| Children: | Yes (Mildred Sanders Ruggles, Margaret Sanders, Harland Sanders, Jr.) |
| Dating/Girlfriend (Name): | N/A |
| Profession: | Businessman |
| Net worth in 2022: | $3.5 million |
| Last updated: | June 2022 |
Colonel Sanders Biography
Colonel Harland David Sanders was born on September 9, 1890, in Henryville, Indiana, to Wilbur David and Margaret Ann (née Dunlevy) Sanders in a four-room house. His mother was of Irish and Dutch descent, and he had two siblings.
Sanders’ father worked on an 80-acre farm until he broke his leg. His mother was strict and a devout Christian, and he later worked as a butcher. Sander’s father died when he was five years old, and his mother had to work in a tomato canning factory. At the age of ten he started working as a farmhand. Three years later, Sanders left his home and worked on various odd jobs.
Colonel Sanders Age, Height, Weight
Colonel Sanders died at age 90. He was born on September 9, 1890. He was 1.78 m tall and weighed 85 kg.
Career
Colonel Sanders started his career at a young age with various odd jobs. He landed a job as a conductor in New Albany, Indiana, in 1906. He also worked briefly as a charioteer for the United States military in Cuba. He worked at the age of 16 as a blacksmith, firefighter and train ash pan cleaner.
In 1910 he started working as a laborer for the Norfolk and Western Railway, where he met his first wife. He later returned to Henryville with his mother, where he worked as a laborer, insurance agent, and salesman. Sanders founded a ferry company in 1920, which was an immediate success. At the same time, he was hired as a secretary at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce in Indiana.
Sanders sold his ferry company for $22,000 and then founded another company that made acetylene lamps. Shell Oil Company offered him a gas station in Kentucky in 1930. Sanders started serving chicken and other dishes. Later, his popularity grew to the point where he was appointed a colonel in Kentucky by then-Governor Ruby Laffon.
Sanders shared his secret recipe for “Kentucky Fried Chicken” in 1952 with some of the city’s biggest restaurants. Fried chicken sales tripled in the first year. Several other restaurant owners later franchised the concept and paid him a fair price for the recipe.
Sanders and his wife opened the restaurant and headquarters in Shelbyville in 1959. Within a few months, KFC was one of the first food companies to expand internationally, with operations in Canada, Jamaica, the United Kingdom and Mexico. In 1962 he received a patent for his recipe and the following year trademarked the phrase “It’s Finger-Lickin’ Good”.
Colonel Sanders Achievements and Awards
Colonel Sanders received the Horatio Alger Award in 1965. In 1976, he was named the second most recognizable celebrity in the world.
Sanders was the company’s symbol and brand ambassador, appearing in numerous TV commercials and appearances. From 1998 to 2001, he was voiced in radio commercials by voice actor Randy Quaid in TV commercials.
In 2016, comedian Rob Riggle portrayed his character in a commercial introducing a soccer team called “The Kentucky Buckets.” Sanders was added as a playable character in WWE 2K18 the following year.
Colonel Sanders’ Net Worth in 2022
Colonel Sanders net worth was estimated at over $3.5 million at the time of his death. He amassed this huge fortune through his successful business career.
He founded several companies, including a ferry company and an acetylene lamp manufacturing company. However, his most successful business was Kentucky Fried Chicken, or KFC, which at the time of his death had 6,000 KFC locations in 48 countries around the world.
Sanders sold KFC in 1964 for $2 billion and became a paid brand ambassador. He also made a lot of money by appearing in commercials, advertisements and corporate events.
Colonel Sanders is one of the most famous and successful businessmen in history. Born into a low-income family, he spent most of his life doing odd jobs. Despite his numerous failures, he persevered and founded one of the world’s largest fast food chains.
Colonel Sanders Wife, Marriage
In 1909, Sanders married his first wife, Josephine King. They had a son named Harland, who died in 1932 due to infected tonsils. Margaret Sanders and Mildred Sanders Ruggles are their two daughters. In 1947 the couple divorced. Sanders married Claudia Price the following year.
Sanders was diagnosed with acute leukemia in 1980. He died on December 16, 1980 at the Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. His funeral was attended by more than 1,000 people.
