Donald Stone Macdonald (1919 – August 29, 1993) was an American academic who specialized in Korean affairs, in particular the bilateral relations between South Korea and the United States. Macdonald had two careers, both concerning Korea. He was first a public servant at the

US Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

in Korean affairs, once serving as mayor of

Kwangju Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Pro ...

and then became an academic on Korean affairs. His death in 1993 marked the end of almost five decades of involvement in Korea, dating from 1945 and the U.S. military occupation.

Early life and education

Born in 1919 in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

in the United States, Macdonald was educated at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

where he earned his B.A. He proceeded to

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

where he earned a M. A. in

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

before moving to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

where he earned his doctorate in political science at the

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

Career

He then began a career at the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

in 1945, focusing on Korea. There, he served as the Director of the Korea Desk and in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, dividing his time between Washington and

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. It was to herald the start of 48 years of continuous involvement in Korea, and at one stage, he served as the mayor of

. During his State Department career, Macdonald received the Department's

Superior Honor Award The Superior Honor Award is an award of the United States Department of State. Similar versions of the same award exist for the former U.S. Information Agency, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and USAID. It is presented to groups or individ ...

three times, and was given the John Jacobs Rogers Award for Distinguished Service. In addition to posting in South Korea, he served in the Foreign Service in Turkey and Switzerland. Macdonald taught at

East Stroudsburg University East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU) is a public university in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. It is one of ten state universities that compose the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). History What today is East ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

from 1971 to 1980. In 1983, he created the Korea program at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

, where he taught until his death. Aside from his formal academic contributions, Macdonald oversaw Korean area studies at the State Department's

Foreign Service Institute The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) is the United States federal government's primary training institution for members of the U.S. foreign service community, preparing American diplomats as well as other professionals to advance U.S. foreign ...

for a number of years. In the 1960s, he was one of the founders of the Washington Korea Tuesday Luncheon Group, and was a prominent figure in international conferences on Korea. Macdonald was a president of the Mid Atlantic Region of the

Association of Asian Studies Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

, and after his term ended he was active on its membership committee and in reforming its governance. He founded and edited the ''MidAtlantic Bulletin of Korean Studies''. He continually worked to expand knowledge of Korea and Asia within the academic community, into the education system and the wider public. Macdonald was prominent in establishing the Wineck Prize for the best high school essay on

Asian studies Asian studies is the term used usually in North America and Australia for what in Europe is known as Oriental studies. The field is concerned with the Asian people, their cultures, languages, history and politics. Within the Asian sphere, Asian ...

in the mid-Atlantic region, and worked to disseminate knowledge of Korea outside specialist circles.

Publications

Pedagogically speaking, Macdonald's university textbook, ''The Koreans: Contemporary Politics and Society'' was the most popular university text on the subject. Macdonald was also the author of ''U.S.-Korea Relations from Liberation to Self-Reliance'', which resulted from a classified study he undertook for the State Department. At the time of his death, he had partially completed a book on Korean politics, for which he had been awarded a

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

to Korea.

Non profit

Macdonald was a founder of Senior International Resources, a not-for-profit consulting firm. His social and educational concerns were reflected in his donations of time and funds for such activities.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Donald Stone 1919 births 1993 deaths Columbian College of Arts and Sciences alumni Georgetown University faculty Harvard University alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Academics from Boston United States Department of State officials American expatriates in South Korea American Koreanists