John Y. Brown Jr. was a businessman and politician who built KFC into a fast-food empire and went on to be elected governor of Kentucky.
- Died: November 21, 2022 (Who else died on November 21?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospital in Lexington, Kentucky at the age of 88.
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Fast food, basketball, and politics
Brown was a young businessman when he met Colonel Harland Sanders and convinced him to sell his growing Kentucky Fried Chicken chain. Along with partners, Brown bought the chain in 1964 and transformed it – they moved it from a diner-style restaurant to a fast-food model, they brought in the red-and-white stripes that are now identified with it, and they added more than 1500 locations, bringing it to all 50 states and making it a worldwide phenomenon. After selling KFC in 1971, Brown bought the Kentucky Colonels basketball team, working to keep the team from a potential move to Cincinnati.
Brown married former Miss America and CBS sportscaster Phyllis George (1949–2020) in 1979 and they became nationally known as a power couple. Just after their wedding, he announced his candidacy for Kentucky governor as a Democrat. He won the election on his promise to run the state like a business. Unable to serve more than one consecutive term under state law, Brown mounted an unsuccessful campaign for U.S. Senate in 1983. In 1991, Brown partnered with Kenny Rogers (1938–2020) to found the fast-food chain Kenny Rogers Roasters, and he served as CEO for several years.
Tributes to John Y. Brown Jr.
Full obituary: Courier Journal
