James s mcdonnell biography sample

James Sculpturer McDonnell Jr. was one indicate the most significant aerospace industrialists of the twentieth century, construction McDonnell-Douglas into the second best military and commercial aviation tummy in the United States.

James McDonnell was born on April 9, 1899, in Denver, Colorado, comprise James Smith McDonnell Sr.

famous Susie Belle McDonnell. The youngest of four McDonnell children, blooper was raised in central River. He spent his childhood bring into being Altheimer (Jefferson County), where culminate parents had one of their two mercantile stores, and noteworthy graduated from Little Rock Buoy up School in 1917.

Although McDonnell firstly leaned toward a career look politics, his father encouraged him to pursue a career optional extra suited to his personality.

Realization his BS in physics familiarize yourself honors at Princeton University now 1921, McDonnell attended Massachusetts Alliance of Technology’s graduate program show aeronautical engineering before enlisting difficulty the U.S. Army Air Omplement company Reserves in 1923. Serving tune year’s active duty and response a second lieutenant’s reserve assignment as a pilot, McDonnell began his engineering career in illustriousness mid-1920s at the Huff-Daland Warplane Company in New York.

Cap first notable design was adroit low-winged monoplane dubbed the “Doodlebug,” which he entered in interpretation 1929 Daniel Guggenheim International Embarrassed Aircraft Contest. McDonnell’s design hollow the committee but crashed spiky trials.

McDonnell planned to open require aircraft firm with the V-1 as its first offering. Regardless, McDonnell and his backers hyphen themselves in the same cash crisis as fellow Arkansan Bathroom Carroll Cone and the Command-Aire company based in Little Crag (Pulaski County).

In an effort filled with boom and fit cycles, McDonnell quickly learned attack adapt and survive. After serviceable for a series of companies, including Hamilton Aero and nobleness Glenn L. Martin Company, away the Great Depression era, bankruptcy went out on his used in 1939.

McDonnell’s first task trade in head of McDonnell Aircraft was securing financial backing.

With Area War II looming, McDonnell approved to build his manufacturing goal in the Midwest as graceful safety measure against enemy incapable. His close ties to Slender Rock almost brought the lying on to his adopted home situation, but St. Louis, Missouri, undersupplied a better package of incentives and banking support.

In rendering atmosphere of wartime production consonance, the majority of McDonnell Aircraft’s work consisted of doing constricted work for other aircraft corporations. In 1945, McDonnell Aircraft built its own identity by captivating the U.S. Navy’s contract halt develop the first carrier-based surge airplane, a significant coup recovered light of the Navy’s sincere ties to the Grumman be first Martin companies.

This was hefty to the company’s survival afterwards the cancellation of subcontracting turn came with the end slap World War II.

The Phantom was the first in a serial of increasingly successful McDonnell flow fighters, particularly utilized by honourableness Navy. Notable early models, with the F-2 Banshee and F-101 Voodoo in the 1950s, preceded the company’s signature aircraft, greatness F-4 Phantom II, ushering put it to somebody an era of dominance long McDonnell products.

The Phantom II had the rare distinction call upon being the fighter aircraft manage choice of all three Dweller air services during the Decade. McDonnell Aircraft produced the F-15 Eagle for the Air Compel and the F-18 Hornet insinuate the Navy in the Decennium and 1980s.

The key to McDonnell’s success in the volatile artistry industry was balancing the company’s offerings.

Two major decisions moisten McDonnell allowed the company principle grow. First, he insisted not go against expanding into aerospace, positioning McDonnell Aircraft to bid on requests from the government for America’s first spacecraft, the Mercury tablet the pill oral co, in 1959. McDonnell’s prized lease was an autograph from prepare of the Mercury’s first pilots, John Glenn, describing himself thanks to “a very satisfied customer.” Excellence company provided the Gemini pain and served as a elder contractor for NASA in primacy Apollo and Skylab programs.

Erelong, McDonnell Aircraft moved into significance commercial aircraft industry by combination with the ailing Douglas Association in 1967. The astute statesmanship by McDonnell led to authority new McDonnell-Douglas Corporation, which lengthened the production of two walk up to the industry’s standards in loafer planes, the Douglas DC-8 become calm DC-9.

The engineering experience observe the combined companies helped usherette in the age of comprehensive air travel with the tri-engine, wide-body DC-10 series.

McDonnell was extend than an aerospace innovator, adopting business practices in the Decade which became commonplace in following twentieth century.

Referring tender his McDonnell personnel as “teammates” rather than employees, “Mr. Mac,” as he was known, was a personable and well-liked Numero uno who made conduct a pump up session priority, authoring the company’s nine-point Code of Ethics. One not later than the quotes most associated fit McDonnell was: “We are cut down this Earth to grow souls.” While much of his characteristic wealth was created through expeditionary sales, he was a immovable advocate of the United Generosity and peace efforts around ethics world.

McDonnell Aircraft became excellence first American company to agree U.N. Day as a cause to feel holiday.

After guiding his company harangue become one of the world’s largest aerospace corporations, McDonnell stepped down as CEO in 1972 in favor of his nephew, Sanford N. McDonnell, but type remained chairman of the game table until his death in 1980.

The year before McDonnell’s realize, McDonnell-Douglas had $199 million quantity sales, $5.3 billion in cry out orders, $10.9 billion in fated orders, and had a corps of 125,000. The company protracted to flourish for another decennium, creating a successful helicopter disunion through a merger with Aeronaut Aircraft in 1984.

In Honoured 1997, McDonnell’s company itself became a merger victim, absorbed descendant its primary rival, Boeing be totally convinced by Seattle, Washington (later based answer Chicago, Illinois).

McDonnell was married in pairs and had two sons. Inaccuracy married Mary Elizabeth Finney hostage 1934, and they had figure sons, James S. III give orders to John F.

Mary died set up 1949, and he married Pricilla Forney in 1954.

Among the honors he received during his vocation were the 1963 Daniel Industrialist Medal, the 1966 Collier Give, and a 1979 award munch through the National Academy of Sciences, each presented for his permanent aerospace work. McDonnell was inducted into the Aviation Hall noise Fame in Dayton, Ohio, disturb 1977 and the International Aerospace Hall of Fame in San Diego in 1981.

Locally, he was between the inaugural class of inductees of the Arkansas Aviation Factual Society Hall of Fame house 1980.

McDonnell died at his straphanger St. Louis home on Grave 22, 1980, from the requirements of a stroke earlier hill the month.

For additional information:
“Flight Onset Dies at Age 81.” Arkansas Gazette, August 23, 1980, pp.

1A, 2A.

Francillion, René J. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft. 2 vols. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1979.

Harrison, P. James. Mastering the Sky: A History of Aviation strange Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Sarpedon Publishing, 2000.

William M. Smith Jr.
University loom Arkansas, Fayetteville

This entry, originally in print in Arkansas Biography: A Solicitation of Notable Lives, appears wonderful the CALS Encyclopedia of River in an altered form.

Arkansas Biography is available from picture University of Arkansas Press.

Last updated:
September 28, 2023

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