Herman Cain grew up in Atlanta with loving parents and little else. His father worked three jobs as a janitor, a barber and a chauffeur and his mother was a domestic worker. Thanks to the lessons his parents instilled in him, Herman went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in mathematics from Morehouse College and a Master's in computer science from Purdue University.

Herman has more than 40 years' experience in the private sector, where he balanced budgets, created jobs and rescued failing companies. He served as an analyst for Coca-Cola, an executive at Pillsbury, a regional Vice President with Burger King and CEO of Godfather's Pizza. During his time at Godfather's, he brought the company from near bankruptcy to profitability in just 14 months. Herman's record as "turnaround artist" led to his rise as President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, which employs more than 14 million people. Additionally, he's been on the boards of directors for several multi-national corporations, including Nabisco, AGCO, Hallmark Cards, Whirlpool, SuperValu, Acquila and Reader's Digest.

Herman also served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and as a supervisory mathematician for the Department of the Navy, where he developed ballistics and fire control systems for the armed forces.

Herman has been married to his wife, Gloria, for 44 years, and they have two children and four grandchildren. He also serves as an Associate Minister at Antioch Baptist Church North in Atlanta.