Donald John Tyson (April 21, 1930 – January 6, 2011) was an American businessman who was the President and CEO of

Tyson Foods Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, based in Springdale, Arkansas, that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork after JBS S.A. It annually ...

during its rise to the top of the food business.

Early life

Donald J. Tyson was born in

Olathe, Kansas Olathe ( ) is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in both the Kansas City metropolitan area and the state of Kansas, with a 2020 population of 141,290. History 19th century Olathe was ...

. He attended the public schools in

Springdale, Arkansas Springdale is the List of cities and towns in Arkansas, fourth-largest city in Arkansas, United States. It is located in both Washington County, Arkansas, Washington and Benton County, Arkansas, Benton counties in Northwest Arkansas. Located on th ...

, and completed his education at

Kemper Military School Kemper Military School & College was a private military school located in Boonville, Missouri. Founded in 1844, Kemper filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2002. The school's motto was "Nunquam Non Paratus" (Never Not Prepared). The 46-acre cam ...

Boonville, Missouri Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeated the Missouri Stat ...

, and at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville () is the second-largest city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the biggest city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington until ...

, where he became a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity. He left the University of Arkansas before earning his degree. In 1944, at age 14, Tyson was first introduced into the poultry industry as a chicken catcher and truck driver at Tyson's Feed and Hatchery, the family's poultry feed and live production business started by his father,

John W. Tyson John W. Tyson (July 26, 1905 – January 15, 1967) was an American businessman, the founder of American multinational corporation Tyson Foods and, from 1935 until his death in 1967, its chief executive officer. Biography Tyson was born in Mound ...

. In 1952, Don Tyson left the University of Arkansas to join his father in expanding the business. The company opened its first poultry processing plant in 1958 on Randall Road in Springdale, with Don Tyson serving as the first plant manager.

President and CEO

Tyson was named president of Tyson Foods, Inc. in 1966. He served as the company's CEO and chairman from 1967 to 1991, as its chairman from 1991 to 1995, and as its senior chairman from 1995 until his retirement in 2001. During his tenure, the company's revenue increased from $51 million to more than $10 billion, and Tyson Foods grew to become one of the largest manufacturing companies in the world. According to associates, Tyson enjoyed his job. In his retirement, Tyson continued to serve as a consultant to the company and as a member of its board of directors. His son,

John H. Tyson John Tyson (born September 5, 1953) is an American billionaire heir and businessman.M. Alex JohnsonWalking the walk, on the assembly line ''NBC News'', 3/24/2005 He was chief executive officer (CEO) of the family business, Tyson Foods (), from ...

was the CEO of Tyson Foods from 1999 to 2006 and is currently chairman.

Wealth

According to ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' magazine, Tyson was one of the world's 1,000 richest people with a net worth over a billion dollars in March 2007. An avid fisherman, Tyson served on the Boards of Directors of the Billfish Foundation and the International Game Fish Association.

Death

Tyson died on January 6, 2011, from cancer. He was 80 years old.

References

1930 births 2011 deaths People from Olathe, Kansas People from Springdale, Arkansas Arkansas Democrats Deaths from cancer in Arkansas 20th-century American businesspeople Tyson Foods people {{US-business-bio-1930s-stub