James Whitman McLamore (May 30, 1926 – August 8, 1996) was an American entrepreneur, the founder and first CEO of the Burger King fast food franchise, along with David Edgerton. He also created the Whopper sandwich. After selling Burger King to the Pillsbury Company in 1967, he remained CEO for 5 years. After retiring, he served on the board of several large corporations, was Chairman of the University of Miami, chaired the United Way and was a member and Chairman of the Orange Bowl Committee. He invested in the Miami Dolphins for several years and reinvested in the educational institutions that impacted him at Northfield Mount Hermon and Cornell University. He was also a gardener, and Chairman at Fairchild Tropical Gardens. Early life McLamore was born in 1926 in New York City. After the Stock Market crash of 1929, his father moved them to the country to his grandmother's. He lost his mother soon after and his family struggled during that time. McLamore went to Northfield Mount Hermon School before attending Cornell University at the School of Hotel Management. He arrived at Cornell with only $11 in his pocket but graduated in 1947. During his time at Cornell, he served in the United States Navy and was a member of the New York Alpha Chapter of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Upon graduating from Cornell, McLamore married Nancy Nichol of Miami, Florida. McLamore's first job in the restaurant business was at a YMCA cafeteria in Wilmington, Delaware before branching out to start his 24/7 fast service restaurant, the Colonial Inn. He left and started a third concept in Miami, Florida called the Brickell Bridge Restaurant in downtown at 550 Brickell Avenue. Careers Edgerton originally opened Insta Burger King in Miami, Florida on March 1, 1954. Three months later, on June 1, he met McLamore and they formed the Burger King Corporation. The corporation opened Burger King stores and went on to introduce the Whopper burger in 1957, when it also dropped "Insta" from the name. At this same time, Edgerton, frustrated with the issue-prone Insta machines, created the flame broiler that would provide the signature for Burger King. In 1961, McLamore negotiated the national rights to Burger King and began growth across the country. McLamore and Edgerton created two supporting businesses in 1962: Distron and Davmor Industries. Distron became the food distribution center for all the stores. Davmor Industries was