Quick Facts

The fast-food chicken restaurant franchise KFC, also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, was founded by American entrepreneur Colonel Sanders. He served as the company’s brand ambassador, and the company continues to use his name and likeness as symbols.

What was the net worth of Colonel Sanders?

At the time of his passing, Colonel Sanders’ net worth was reported to be over $3.5 million. His prosperous business career allowed him to accumulate this tremendous wealth.

He established a number of companies, such as a manufacturer of acetylene lamps and a ferry boat firm. But Kentucky Fried Chicken, or KFC, was his most prosperous business; at the time of his passing, there were 6,000 KFC restaurants throughout 48 nations.

In 1964, Sanders sold KFC for $2 billion and went on to become a compensated brand spokesman. Additionally, he earned a lot of money by participating in commercials, advertising, and professional gatherings.

When was Colonel Sanders born?

Wilbur David and Margaret Ann (née Dunlevy) Sanders welcomed a son named Colonel Harland David Sanders into the world on September 9, 1890, at a four-room home in Henryville, Indiana. He had two siblings, and his mother was of Irish and Dutch origin.

The father of Sanders worked on an 80-acre farm till he shattered his leg. He later worked as a butcher. His mother was severe and a devoted Christian. When Sander was five years old, his father passed away, and his mother was made to work in a tomato cannery. When he was ten years old, he started working as a farmhand. Three years later, Sanders left his house and started working at odd jobs.

What are the age, height, and weight of Colonel Sanders?

Colonel Sanders passed away on September 9, 1990, at the age of 90. He weighed 85 kg and was 1.78 m tall.

Career

At an early age, Colonel Sanders worked a variety of odd jobs to start his career. In 1906, he secured employment as a conductor in New Albany, Indiana. He also spent a brief period of time in Cuba working as a wagoner for the US Army. By the age of 16, he was employed as a railway ash pan cleaner, a fireman, and a blacksmith.

He started working for the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1910, where he first met his wife. Later, he and his mother moved back to Henryville, where he worked as a worker, an insurance agent, and a salesman. In 1920, Sanders founded a ferry boat business, which was an immediate success. He was also given a job as a secretary at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce in Indiana at the same time.

Sanders made $22,000 selling his ferry business before starting a new acetylene light manufacturing business. In 1930, Shell Oil Company made him an offer for a service station in Kentucky. Sanders started selling a variety of foods, including chicken. Later, his standing rose to the point where then-governor Ruby Laffon named him a Kentucky colonel.

In 1952, Sanders revealed his top-secret “Kentucky Fried Chicken” recipe to some of the biggest eateries in the area. In the first year, sales of fried chicken more than tripled. Later, the idea was franchised by several other restaurant owners, who compensated him fairly for the formula.

In 1959, Sanders and his wife inaugurated the eatery and corporate headquarters in Shelbyville. With locations in Canada, Jamaica, the UK, and Mexico, KFC was one of the first food businesses to go global within a short period of time. In 1962, he was granted a patent for his recipe, and the following year, he registered the tagline “It’s Finger-Lickin’ Good” as a trademark.

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Achievements and Awards

The Horatio Alger Award was given to Colonel Sanders in 1965. In 1976, he was ranked as the second most recognised celebrity in the world.

Sanders served as the company’s representative and brand ambassador, and he made countless TV appearances and ads. He was portrayed by voice actor Randy Quaid in radio advertisements from 1998 to 2001.

In a 2016 commercial for a football team named “The Kentucky Buckets,” comic Rob Riggle played his part. The following year, Sanders was made a playable character in WWE 2K18.

Who was the wife of Colonel Sanders?

Sanders wed Josephine King, his first wife, in 1909. Harland, one of their sons, passed away in 1932 as a result of diseased tonsils. Their two daughters are Margaret Sanders and Mildred Sanders Ruggles. The pair were divorced in 1947. After a year, Sanders wed Claudia Price.

In 1980, Sanders received a diagnosis of acute leukemia. On December 16, 1980, he passed away in Louisville, Kentucky’s Jewish Hospital. At his funeral, more than a thousand people showed up.