Herman Cain, a politician, author, radio host and businessman, has died after being hospitalized with COVID-19.
Cain was a syndicated radio talk show host from 2013 to 2018, heard in Atlanta on 95.5/AM 750 WSB. More recently, he was hosting a radio show on his website and a talk show on conservative TV outlet NewsMaxTV. He was a candidate for president in 2011, known for his advocacy of his 9-9-9 tax plan.
Cain was 74.
Want to know more about Herman Cain? Here are five fast facts
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He graduated from Morehouse College.
Cain, born Dec. 13, 1945, in Memphis, Tennessee, moved to West Atlanta with his family at an early age. After high school, he enrolled into Morehouse College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He became a life member of the National Alumni Association and formerly served on Morehouse’s board of trustees.
He held executive positions at several food corporations.
While completing his master’s degree in computer science from Purdue University in Indiana, he worked as a ballistics analyst for the United States Navy. After graduation, he moved back to Atlanta to begin a gig at The Coca-Cola Company as a computer systems analyst. He would also go on to work for Pillsbury in Minneapolis.
During the 1980s, he was tasked with managing 400 Burger Kings in the Philadelphia area. At the time, the fast food company was a Pillsbury subsidiary. His success led to his chairman and CEO appointment of Godfather’s Pizza, another Pillsbury-owned chain. He held the position for about 10 years before serving as the CEO of the National Restaurant Association for several years.
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In 2011, he announced his candidacy for the 2012 U.S. Republican Party presidential nomination.
In May 2011, he announced his candidacy at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. During his campaign, he heavily promoted his 9-9-9 tax plan, which centered on a complete rewrite of the tax code to produce a plan that featured a flat 9 percent income tax, 9 percent business tax and 9 percent federal sales tax.
By December 2011, he had suspended his Republican presidential bid after more than a month of fighting allegations of sexual misconduct. He said he was suspending his campaign, because the accusations and the resulting media coverage were hurting his family.
He has honorary degrees from more than five educational institutions.
He has received honorary degrees from Creighton University, Johnson & Wales University, Morehouse College, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the New York City College of Technology, Purdue University, Suffolk University and Tougaloo College.
He was a radio show host for years.
From 2008 to 2011, he hosted a politics-focused radio show on WSB Radio in Atlanta. In early 2013, he took over for Neal Boortz. He started out with a three-hour segment and cut it down to one hour by 2017. In August 2018, it was announced that his last show would air that same month.
President Donald Trump tapped him for a position on the Federal Reserve board.
In April 2019, Trump recommended him for a position on the Federal Reserve board, but Cain withdrew his name from consideration, preventing what was expected to be a contentious confirmation process. Several Republican senators had voiced their opposition.
“I’ve recommended Herman Cain. A terrific man, a terrific person. He’s a friend of mine,” Trump had told reporters in the Oval Office. “I’ve told my folks that that’s the man and he’s doing some pre-checking now and I would imagine he’d be in great shape.”
Members of the Fed’s seven-person board of governors serve for 14-year terms and help oversee the nation’s monetary policy.
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