McNair, Malcolm P. (Malcolm Perrine), 1894-1985

Malcolm P. McNair was a Teaching Assistant in Government and English at Harvard University from 1917-1920. In 1920 he joined the faculty of the Harvard Business School as Instructor, 1920-1924, Assistant Professor of Marketing, 1924-1927, Associate Professor of Marketing, 1927-1931, Professor of Marketing, 1931-1950, and the first Lincoln Filene Professor of Retailing, 1950-1963.

From the description of Malcolm P. McNair papers, ca 1919-1985. (Harvard Business School). WorldCat record id: 74907566

Malcolm Perrine McNair was a pioneer in marketing, retailing and forecasting trends. He taught at Harvard Business School for forty three years and played a key role in the development of marketing, retailing and case method courses. He was also influential in early case collection activities.

McNair was born on October 6, 1894 in Dansville, New York. He married Mary Lowe Hemenway in 1918 and the couple had three children. He attended Lehigh University from 1912-1913 and transferred to Harvard University, receiving an BA in 1916 and a MA in 1920.

While a graduate student, McNair edited Harvard Business School students' marketing reports for composition and style. In this capacity he caught the attention of Melvin T. Copeland, one of the originators of the case method. In 1920, Copeland persuaded him to join the faculty. McNair was appointed Instructor at Harvard Business School in 1920, and was promoted to Assistant Professor of Marketing in 1924, Associate Professor of Marketing in 1927, and Professor of Marketing in 1931. In 1950 he was appointed the first Lincoln Filene Professor of Retailing, a position he held until his retirement in 1963.

McNair served as Assistant Director of the Harvard Bureau of Business Research from 1922-1929 and Managing Director from 1929-1933. He became Director of the Division of Research at HBS at its founding in 1933 and served until 1936. He authored many books on retailing, distribution, and marketing and was the author of many cases and articles. He was an indefatigable public speaker, giving lectures and addresses to many business organizations, most notably the National Retail Dry Goods Association (NRDGA), later the National Retail Merchants Association (NRMA). He also spoke frequently before Harvard Business School alumni clubs across the nation.

McNair was a consultant for a number of companies, most notably Indian Head Mills . He was a teacher and mentor to the founder and president, James Robison (MBA ‘40). He also served on various corporate boards and served as director of various companies including, Allied Stores .

Malcolm P. McNair died on September 16, 1985.

From the guide to the Malcolm P. McNair papers, 1919-1985, (Baker Library, Harvard Business School)