T. Denny Sanford is very renowned for his generosity in supporting various causes. He is listed as the 14th ‘most generous donor’ in USA. Sanford is 73 years old and CEO of United National Corporation, First Premier Bank, and Premier Bankcard. In his 73 years of life he has earned and donated generously. In his official biography he states that "primary interest is in helping sick, disadvantaged, abused and/or neglected children”.

Sanford grew up in a working class home. Born on December 23, 1935 was born in St. Paul, Minn was named Thomas Denny Sanford. He had his schooling from St. Paul Central High School.

He donated $70-million for converting the Homestake Mine into a deep underground laboratory in 2006, gave $70.6 million to charity in 2005, donated $16 million to a hospital in 2004 and has been a supporter of the Children's Home Society (CHS) in South Dakota to which he donated $550,000 to them for the Scott Sanford Children's Center for abused kids, and $14 million for the CHS Endowment Fund in 2006. Sanford formed the Sanford Foundation for charitable giving in the year 2001. He donated $20 million to Sioux Valley Hospital for its expansion projects at the University of South Dakota's School of Medicine. If this was already not enough he awarded $21.6 million to child-welfare, community and health charities and donated $500,000 to the HealthEast Foundation in St. Paul to build the William Sanford Welcome Center at Bethesda Hospital and $15 million to the Mayo Foundation in Rochester, Minn.

He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1958. He did his graduation in psychology. Armstrong Cork Co. was the first organization where he worked after graduation. He joined Armstrong Cork Co. as a sales and marketing manager. 

He went on to building his own business and opened up a manufacturer's representative company in the year 1960. The company was opened for the promotion of technical construction products with the help of architects and engineers. Then he moved on to opening up a distribution company. Because of his ambitious nature he made an acquisition from Sears, Roebuck in the year 1971 of a chemical company that was already fifty years old at that the time of purchase. The name of the company was Contech, Inc. public which, at that time in the year 1972, had a share price of five dollars.

After ten years Sanford sold it and the price per share was then thirty five dollars.

At that point of time Sanford decided to change the course of business and formed a venture capital company by the name of Threshold Ventures. He formed the First Premier Bank in 1986 by acquiring the National Bank in Sioux Falls. He also formed a credit card company along with this bank called the Premier Banckcard. Initially there were just 80 employees altogether in both companies. But Sanford worked hard and made it into a 2500 employee’s organization. The First Premier Capital was formed in Minneapolis in the year 2002. Sanford is actively running all his business units today.

Since the expansion of the credit card industry in the state in 1979 and 1980, his business and wealth is expanding a great deal. During this period First Premier Bank and Premier Bankcard were created. The United National Corporation looks after both First Premier Bank and Premier Bankcard. The First Premier Bank initially opened 13 locations in eastern South Dakota with assets close to a billion dollars and trust assets of $430 million.

Some people are born to be an example for the rest. Same is the case of T. Denny Sanford.