As one of the most talked-about figures, Colonel Sanders has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.

What was Colonel Sanders's Net Worth?

Colonel Sanders was an American businessman and entrepreneur, best known as the founder and face of the fast food restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken. At the time of his death,Colonel Sanders' net worth was$3.5 million. That's the same as around $10 million today after adjusting for inflation. Perhaps not as much as you'd guess considering the fact that today KFC's annual revenue tops $23 BILLION.

Also known as Harland Sanders, he died on December 16, 1980 at the age of 90. He also served as KFC's brand ambassador and symbol. He did not serve in the military but earned an honorary title of a Kentucky Colonel. He founded KFC during the Great Depression and developed his secret recipe and method for cooking chicken in a pressure fryer. He focused on franchising his chicken throughout the U.S. In 1964 Sanders sold the company to investors for $2 million. He was 73 years old at the time. That's the same as around $15 million today after adjusting for inflation. He stayed on as a brand ambassador and retained control of operations in Canada.

Early Life

Harland Sanders was born on September 9, 1890 in Henryville, Indiana as the eldest of three children of Margaret and Wilbur. Raised in a strict Christian household, he attended the Advent Christian Church with his family. After Sanders's father died in 1895, his mother began working at a tomato cannery while he looked after his siblings. By the time he was seven, Sanders had reportedly become skilled at cooking vegetables. In 1902, his mother remarried to William Broaddus, and the family moved to Greenwood, Indiana. The following year, Sanders dropped out of school and went to live and work on a farm nearby. He then took a job painting horse carriages in Indianapolis. At the age of 14, Sanders worked as a farmhand in southern Indiana.

Career Beginnings

In 1906, Sanders went to New Albany, Indiana to live with his uncle, who worked for a streetcar company. There, he got a job as a conductor. Sanders went on to enlist in the US Army by falsifying his date of birth; he served as a wagoner in Cuba before being honorably discharged in early 1907. Sanders then moved to Sheffield, Alabama, where his uncle was now working for the Southern Railway. His uncle helped get him a job as a blacksmith's assistant. About two months later, Sanders moved to Jasper, Alabama, where he landed a job cleaning out ash pans from Northern Alabama Railroad trains. He soon progressed to the position of steam engine stoker, which he did for close to three years. Still on the railroad, Sanders became a laborer with the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1909. After that, he became a steam engine stoker on the Illinois Central Railroad.

Odd Jobs

In summary, the total wealth of Colonel Sanders reflects strategic moves.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.