Jackson Clifford MacDonald (October 12, 1901 — August 16, 1963) was an American businessman and philanthropist. MacDonald was owner of a printing company and served as president of the

Arc of the United States The Arc of the United States is an organization serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization was founded in the 1950s by parents of people with developmental disabilities. Since then, the organization has esta ...

, then named the National Association for Retarded Children. While working with people with disabilities, MacDonald started several Floridan establishments and worked with the Hillsborough County Association for the Blind as their president from 1938 to 1954. Apart from disabilities, MacDonald worked in journalism with the ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'', ''

Tampa Tribune ''The Tampa Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Tampa, Florida. Along with the competing ''Tampa Bay Times'', the ''Tampa Tribune'' was one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area. The newspaper also published a ''St. P ...

'', ''

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', called the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute f ...

'' and the '' St. Petersburg Independent'' during the 1920s. MacDonald was named a recipient of the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President ...

in 1963 and died before his award ceremony that year.

Biography

On October 12, 1901, MacDonald was born in

Alexandria, Louisiana Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat and largest city of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River of the South, Red River ...

. When MacDonald was a toddler, he was raised by his mother after his father died. During his childhood, MacDonald lived in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. For his post-secondary education, MacDonald went to

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

for a journalism program. For his career, MacDonald worked for the ''

'' in the 1920s before moving to the ''

'' in 1924. While in Florida, MacDonald continued his journalism career in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

with the ''

'' and the '' St. Petersburg Independent''. Apart from reporting, MacDonald started ''The Spectator'' and the ''St. Petersburg Daily News'' during the mid 1920s. From 1926 to 1959, MacDonald was in charge of the MacDonald Printing Company in Tampa. Working with people with disabilities, MacDonald joined the Hillsborough County Association for the Blind as their president in 1938. He remained as their president until 1954. During this time period, MacDonald became a member of the Florida Cooperative for the Blind as their president in 1949. Throughout the early to mid 1950s, the Hillsborough Country Association for Retarded Children and the MacDonald Training Center were established by MacDonald. After launching the Florida State Council for Retarded Children, MacDonald worked for the National Association for Retarded Children during the mid to late 1950s as their president. In 1963, MacDonald received the

. President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

said of MacDonald, upon issuing him the honor: "Businessman and philanthropist, he has directed his concern to the quiet but noble work of enlarging the lives and opportunities of the physically and mentally handicapped." President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

awarded MacDonald the Presidential Medal via

executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of the ...

, on February 22, 1963. However, both MacDonald and Kennedy died prior to the December 6, 1963 ceremony. MacDonald died on August 16, 1963, in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

from a stroke. He had a previous stroke several years before his death. Following his death, MacDonald's wife accepted his President Medal of Freedom posthumously. MacDonald was married and had a child with an

intellectual disability Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability (in the United Kingdom), and formerly mental retardation (in the United States), Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010).Archive is a generalized neurodevelopmental ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacDonald, J. Clifford 20th-century American businesspeople 1963 deaths Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients 1901 births New York Daily News people American newspaper people American disability rights activists