Carl Karcher, founder of the Carl's Jr., goes to the Big Drive Thru in the Sky

Carl Goes to the Big Drive Thru in the Sky

Posted Jan 19th 2008 4:56PM by TMZ Staff

Carl N. Karcher, founder of the Carl's Jr. hamburger chain, has died.



http://www.tmz.com/2008/01/19/carl-goes-to-the-great-grill-in-the-sky/

Karcher's religious and political views were always tightly interwoven with his business. The fast-food magnate began all board of directors meetings with the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi and handed out prayer cards along with Carl's Jr. coupons to people he met on the street.

"I believe in certain moral principles. I'm a good Christian. I'm a conservative person," he told The Wall Street Journal for a 1993 profile.

He was reviled by abortion rights activists for his contributions to anti-abortion groups and his oft-repeated story about talking a Carl's Jr. employee out of an abortion. Gay rights groups dubbed his hamburgers "bigot burgers" after Karcher supported a 1978 proposition that would have allowed school boards to fire teachers who were gay or advocated homosexuality.

http://www.knbc.com/news/15033999/detail.html