John Brantley Hightower (May 23, 1933 – July 6, 2013) was a director of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

, the

South Street Seaport The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, centered where Fulton Street meets the East River, within the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The Seaport is a designated historic district. It is p ...

Museum, and the Mariners' Museum.

Biography

Hightower was born in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, and moved with his family to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, New York, when he was one year old. He attended the

Northfield Mount Hermon School Northfield Mount Hermon School (abbreviated as NMH), is a co-educational college-preparatory school in Gill, Massachusetts. It educates boarding and day students in grades 9–12, as well as post-graduate students. It is a member of the Eight ...

, a private boarding school in

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 ...

. He graduated

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1955. He served two years in the Marines after graduation. From 1957 to 1961, he was in an executive training program at

First National City Bank Citibank, N.A. ("N. A." stands for " National Association"; stylized as citibank) is the primary U.S. banking subsidiary of Citigroup, a financial services multinational corporation. Citibank was founded in 1812 as City Bank of New York, and ...

. In 1961, he became an assistant to the president and publisher of American Heritage Publishing Company. From 1964 to 1970, he was executive director of the

New York State Council on the Arts The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) serves to foster and advance the arts, culture, and creativity throughout New York State, according to its website. The goal of the council is to allow all New Yorkers to benefit from the contribution ...

, where his budget went from $500,000 in his first year to $22 million in his last year. On May 1, 1970, he assumed the position of director of the Museum of Modern Art. Hightower's tenure at the museum was marked by the unionizing of its work force into the Professional and Administrative Staff Association (PASTA) which also went on strike. He resigned from his position on January 5, 1972. From 1977 to 1993, he was president of the

South Street Seaport Museum The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan, centered where Fulton Street (Manhattan), Fulton Street meets the East River, within the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial ...

From 1993 to 2006, he was president and Director of the Mariners' Museum, a period which included establishing the

USS Monitor USS ''Monitor'' was an ironclad warship built for the United States Navy during the American Civil War and completed in early 1862, the first such ship commissioned by the Navy. ''Monitor'' played a central role in the Battle of Hampton Roads ...

Center and Conservation Laboratory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hightower, John B. 1933 births 2013 deaths People from Atlanta Yale University alumni Directors of museums in the United States People associated with the Museum of Modern Art (New York City) People from New York City South Street Seaport Northfield Mount Hermon School alumni