Harland Sanders, the founder of KFC, was a time warrior for a while, but he had no rank. The colonel was indeed given by the local government. Maybe it's more appropriate to call him this title. For example, President Wang is not really a "principal".

He has changed jobs countless times, so to speak, he has tried everything, worked as a painter, a fireman, sold insurance and served as a soldier for a while. Later, he got a correspondence law degree (correspondence degree, you know), which enabled him to be a sheriff in Little Rock, Kansas for a while. Later, I came to Kentucky to open a small gas station and a restaurant to serve drivers on the road. Later I developed a special product, fried chicken.

1935, Sandoz's fried chicken is well known. In order to thank him for his special contribution to the state congress, Ruby Lafon, the governor of Kentucky, officially awarded him the rank of Colonel in Kentucky, so people called him "Dear Colonel Sanders" instead of an army rank.