John F. McDonnell (born 1938) is an American businessman, engineer, and philanthropist. McDonnell served as the

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...

of the McDonnell Douglas Corporation from 1988 until its merger with

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and ...

in 1997 and its

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...

from 1988 until 1994. He was a corporate director at

from the 1997 merger until 2012, when he reached the Boeing-mandated retirement age of 74.

Early life and career

Born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore wa ...

, in 1938, McDonnell is the son of McDonnell Aircraft founder

James Smith McDonnell James Smith "Mac" McDonnell (April 9, 1899 – August 22, 1980) was an American aviator, engineer, and businessman. He was an aviation pioneer and founder of McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, later McDonnell Douglas, and the James S. McDonn ...

and Mary Elizabeth Finney. A graduate of St. Louis Country Day School (now Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School), McDonnell completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in aeronautical engineering at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

in 1960 and 1962, respectively. He earned an MBA from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, which also awarded him an honorary doctorate in science in 2006. After marrying his wife Anne in 1961, McDonnell began working for MAC as a strength engineer on

Project Gemini Project Gemini () was NASA's second human spaceflight program. Conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, Gemini started in 1961 and concluded in 1966. The Gemini spacecraft carried a two-astronaut crew. Ten Gemini crews and 16 individual ...

the following year. He was instrumental in founding McDonnell Douglas Finance Corporation in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

and ultimately becoming a vice president of the division in 1968. After McDonnell became Chairman in 1988, he helped create the newsmagazine

90 Days ''90 Days'' is a video news magazine produced by McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis, MO and distributed at the end of every business quarter (hence the show's title) through the mail to employees and shareholders of the company in VHS format. From it ...

as a way to keep employees and shareholders abreast of what was going on in McDonnell Douglas. After McDonnell Douglas and Boeing merged in 1997, McDonnell himself held the title of largest individual shareholder in the combined company in March 2003. In addition to his continued involvement with Boeing, he is also a director of BJC HealthCare, chairman of the board of

Barnes-Jewish Hospital Barnes-Jewish Hospital is the largest hospital in the U.S. state of Missouri. Located in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, it is the adult teaching hospital for the Washington University School of Medicine and a major component ...

and vice chairman of the board of

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

. McDonnell is also a lifetime trustee of the St. Louis Science Center. He, along with his brother, James S. McDonnell III, sit on the board of directors of the James S. McDonnell Foundation, which is based in St. Louis, MO. In 2006, McDonnell and the JSM Charitable Trust endowed $10 million to

for the creation of the

McDonnell International Scholars Academy Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

.Skwiot,Rick. "Educating Future World Leaders." Washington University in St. Louis Magazine. Vol. 77,No. 2, Pgs. 20-25. Retrieved 2008-01-06. Commenting on the program McDonnell said, "So far the Academy has progressed beyond my expectations." McDonnell was later named St. Louis "Citizen of the Year" in 2009. McDonnell resides in the St. Louis area, and enjoys traveling and tennis as hobbies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonnell, John 1938 births American chief executives of manufacturing companies Businesspeople in aviation McDonnell Douglas Princeton University alumni Living people American corporate directors Boeing people