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

What Was Samuel Truett Cathy's Net Worth?

Cathy and his wife, Jeannette McNeil, had three children, Don ("Bubba"), Trudy, and Dan, and fostered children for over 30 years. The couple remained married until Truett's death in 2014, and Jeannette died the following year. Cathy was a Sunday school teacher at the First Baptist Church of Jonesboro, Georgia, for more than five decades, and due to his religious beliefs, all Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sundays so the employees can attend church. Truett established a scholarship program for the restaurant's employees, and it has awarded more than $190 million in scholarships since 1973.

In 1946, Cathy opened the Atlanta restaurant the Dwarf Grill, and there, he created what would became Chick-fil-A's signature sandwich with his brother/business partner Ben. From 1964 to 1967, that fried chicken sandwich was licensed to more than 50 eateries, such as Waffle House. When the first Chick-Fil-A opened at Atlanta's Greenbriar Mall in 1967, the sandwich was withdrawn from other restaurants. As of this writing, there are more than 3,100 Chick-Fil-A locations, and the chain has expanded outside of the U.S. to Canada, the U.K., and South Africa. In 2023, the chain's revenue was around $21.6 billion.

A deeply religious man, Cathy extended his belief to his business. To this day, all of his restaurants are closed on Sundays. Outside of fast food, Truett published the books "It's Easier to Succeed Than to Fail" (1989), "Eat Mor Chikin: Inspire More People" (2002) "It's Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men" (2004), "How Did You Do It, Truett?: A Recipe for Success" (2007), and "Wealth, Is It Worth It?" (2010). On September 8, 2014, Chick-Fil-A confirmed that S. Truett Cathy had died at the age of 93 at his home in Clayton County, Georgia.

In April 2008, Truett opened a restaurant in Fayetteville, Georgia, called Upscale Pizza. In November 2013, he retired from his roles as CEO and chairman of Chick-fil-A, and his son Dan took over. Cathy was involved in a college football sponsorship deal that resulted in the Peach Bowl being called the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl from 1997 to 2005, the Chick-fil-A Bowl from 2006 to 2013, and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl again since 2014.

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S. Truett Cathy / Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images

Samuel Truett Cathy (also known as S. Truett Cathy) was an American entrepreneur and author who had a net worth of $6.6 billion at the time of his death in 2014. Samuel Truett Cathy earned his fortune as the founder of the Atlanta-based restaurant Chick-fil-A. After serving in World War II, Cathy opened his first chain of restaurants called Dwarf Grill (now known as Dwarf House) in 1946. In 1967, twenty-one years after launching Dwarf House, he launched his second fast-food restaurant, Chick-fil-A, in his hometown, Atlanta. Today the restaurant, which is known for its chicken entrees, has over 3,100 locations. In 2008, Truett launched another fast-food restaurant called Upscale Pizza in Fayetteville, Georgia.

Samuel Truett Cathy was born on March 14, 1921, in Eatonton, Georgia. He was the son of Joseph and Lilla Cathy, and he had a brother named Ben. Joseph was a farmer, but after boll weevils attacked the cotton fields, the farming business failed. The Cathy family subsequently moved to Atlanta, and Joseph began working as an insurance salesman. Truett attended Boys High School before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II.

In summary, the total wealth of Samuel Truett Cathy reflects strategic moves.

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