McDonald, John, 1906-1998

John Dennis McDonald (1906-1998), a writer, editor, business historian, fisherman, and horse racing enthusiast, was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan, earning two degrees, an AB (1928) and MA (1931), in literature. He moved to New York in 1932 and became involved with political causes including the American Committee for the Defense of Leon Trotsky, which resulted in his work on Trotsky's administrative staff during the Dewey Commission's hearings in Mexico in April 1937. McDonald worked briefly in the Washington office of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration, and for the American Film Center in New York, before joining the staff of Fortune magazine in 1945 as a staff writer and an associate editor; he was elected to the magazine's board of editors in 1949, and retired from the company in 1971. While at Fortune, he wrote more than one hundred articles, specializing in the strategic aspects of business, including economic theory and game theory, and on fishing and horse racing. Research for several of his articles inspired his three scholarly books on fishing history, and four titles on business. McDonald married the painter Dorothy Eisner (1906-1984) in 1937; he died on December 23, 1998.

From the description of John McDonald papers, 1890-1999 (bulk 1945-1997). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702162602

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