Donald John Tyson was an American businessman who was the President and CEO of Tyson Foods

Tyson Foods

Tyson Foods, Inc. is a 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 only behind Brazilian JBS S.A., and annually exports the largest percentage of beef out of...

 during its rise to the top of the food business.

Early life

Don Tyson was born in Olathe, Kansas

Olathe, Kansas

Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...

. He attended the public schools in Springdale, Arkansas

Springdale, Arkansas

As of the census of 2010, there were 69,797 people, 22,805 households, and 16,640 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.7% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 5.7% Pacific Islander, 22% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more...

, and completed his education at Kemper Military School

Kemper Military School

Kemper Military School & College was a private military school located in Boonville, Missouri. Kemper filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2002. The school's motto was "Nunquam Non Paratus" .-Early years under Frederick T. Kemper:...

 in Boonville, Missouri

Boonville, Missouri

This page is about the city in Missouri. For other communities of the same name, see Boonville Boonville is a city in Cooper County, Missouri, USA. The population was 8,202 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cooper County. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the American Civil...

, and at the University of Arkansas

University of Arkansas

The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...

 in Fayetteville, Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...

, which he left before earning his degree.

In 1944, at an 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

John W. Tyson 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:...

. 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’s 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 Mr. Tyson enjoyed his job, one of his favorite parts of it was going to the slaughterhouses. In his retirement, Mr. 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 H. Tyson

John Tyson is a United States businessman, the grandson of Tyson Foods founder John W. Tyson, and the son of business guru and ex-Tyson CEO Don Tyson. John was the CEO of Tyson Foods from 1999-2006 and is currently chairman. He graduated from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX.-References:...

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

Wealth

According to Forbes 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.