Frank Perdue

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"It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken"

Frank Perdue (May 9, 1920 – March 31, 2005), born in Salisbury, Maryland, was for many years the president of Perdue Farms, now one of the largest chicken-producing companies in the United States. His promotion of the Perdue brand through high-profile advertising resulted in its being the first well-known brand of chicken in the U.S. He turned over leadership of Perdue Farms to his son, Jim Perdue, in 1991.

Perdue developed a specialized chicken-feed that included marigold blossoms, which imparted a characteristic golden yellow hue to the skins of his chickens. Although the color didn't change the taste or quality of the chicken meat, it did cause a substantial increase in his sales based solely on aesthetic appeal.

Perdue is also noted for having appeared in over 200 of Perdue Farms' television commercials, although he was also known for his shyness as well. He made a point not to have his high profile ads shown in the Maryland and Washington D.C. areas. When he was asked why this was, he would say that he just wanted to be able to live a quiet life in his local area.^{[citation needed]}

As television commercials starring Perdue became more popular, he became closely associated with chicken. People even frequently joked that he looked like a chicken. He occasionally poked fun at his appearance in his commercials.

He attended Salisbury State University, now known as Salisbury University, whose business school is named after him.

[edit] Union controversy

In 1980, Local 117 of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) began an 18-month campaign to organize the Perdue plant in Accomac, Virginia. Civil rights icons Rosa Parks and James Meredith endorsed a national boycott of Perdue products, and the Reverend Jesse Jackson spoke at a pro-union rally. The UFCW lost a representation election in July 1981 by a vote of 601-328.

In 1986, Perdue admitted to the President's Commission on Organized Crime that he had twice unsuccessfully sought help from New York crime boss Paul Castellano to fight the union, actions he later said he regretted deeply.