Frederick Leo Turner (January 6, 1933 in Des Moines, Iowa ) is an American restaurant industry executive, and former chair and CEO of McDonald's.
Turner grew up in Des Moines and Chicago, and graduated from Drake University in 1954; that 22 June, he married fellow Drake graduate Patricia Shurtleff. The couple had three daughters. Mrs. Turner died on 9 October 2000.
Turner began his career at McDonald's in 1956 as a grill operator upon his discharge from the US Army, and quickly rose through the ranks. He was named Operations Vice President in 1958, Executive Vice President in 1967, then President and Chief Administrative Officer in 1968. He replaced Ray Kroc as Chairman in 1977, then was named Senior Chairman upon Kroc's death. Since his retirement in 2004, he has served as Honorary Chairman. Under Turner, McDonald's expanded its operations to 118 countries, with over 31,000 outlets.
Turner also served as a director for Aon Corporation, Baxter International, and W. W. Grainger. He received the Horatio Alger Award in 1991. He is a member of the Bohemian Club, and Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Famous quotes containing the words fred and/or turner:
“For me, it’s enough! They’ve been here long enough—maybe too long. It’s a funny thing, though. All these years Fred was too busy to have much time for the kids, now he’s the one who’s depressed because they’re leaving. He’s really having trouble letting go. He wants to gather them around and keep them right here in this house.”
—Anonymous Parent. As quoted in Women of a Certain Age, by Lillian B. Rubin, ch. 2 (1979)
“We inherit plots.... There are only two or three in the world, five or six at most. We ride them like treadmills.”
—Janette Turner Hospital (b. 1942)