John Donald MacArthur (March 6, 1897 – January 6, 1978) was an American insurance magnate, real estate investor and philanthropist who established the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, benefactor in the MacArthur Fellowships.
Early life
John Donald MacArthur was born on March 6, 1897, in Pittston, Pennsylvania, as the seventh child to Georginna and Reverend William Telfer MacArthur. He moved from Pittston to Chicago, Illinois, at the age of five. He was medically discharged from service. In 1954 for $5.5 million MacArthur bought of land in northern Palm Beach County originally owned by Harry Seymor Kelsey and later by Sir Harry Oakes. It included most of today's Lake Park, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens and Palm Beach Shores.
Personal life
MacArthur first married the former Louise Ingalls and had two children: a son, U.S. businessman and philanthropist J. Roderick (1920–1984); and a daughter, Virginia. The couple divorced in 1937.
See also
- John D. MacArthur Beach State Park
References
Further reading
- Biography of John MacArthur.
- Kosar, Kevin R. "The Reluctant Philanthropist: John D. MacArthur". The American, February 13, 2008.
- Biography of John MacArthur: Empire builder, reluctant philanthropist, relentless adversary.
- McGoun, William E., Southeast Florida Pioneers: The Palm and Treasure Coasts, 1998, Sarasota: Pineapple Press, chapter 27. Compares the lives of MacArthur and Arthur Vining Davis, another heavy investor in Florida real estate.
External links
- MacArthur Foundation website
- Bankers Life website
- History of Bankers Life