McShain, John, 1898-1989

John McShain was a Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., -based building contractor, whose firm, John McShain, Inc., was by 1950 the fiftieth largest construction firm in the United States, with contracts in excess of $100,000,000.

John McShain was born in Philadelphia on December 21, 1898, the son of immigrants from County Derry, Ireland. His father was a carpenter with a small business and well established as a builder of Catholic churches, schools, rectories and convents. When his father died in 1919, John McShain left college in order to return to Philadelphia and take over the construction business. In 1929 he received his first major contract from the City of Philadelphia. McShain was active in Pennsylvania Republican Party politics during the 1930s, 40s and 50s. He was a member of the Philadelphia Zoning Board from 1936 to 1956 and a member of the Housing Board from 1942 to 1946.

McShain opened branch offices in Washington, D.C. (1935), Trenton, N.J. (1936), and Baltimore (1937). In 1939 he received the contract to build the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library at Hyde Park, N.Y. During the 1940s and 50s McShain became one of Washington's most visible and successful building contractors. His projects included the Jefferson Memorial (1939), the State Department Building (1940), National Airport (1941), the Internal Revenue Building (1942), the Pentagon (1943), the Army Map Service Building (1943), the White House renovation (1950-1951), the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

In the 1940s, McShain invested some of his profits in the hotel business. After 1951, McShain became actively involved in the world of horse racing. He purchased the Barclay Stables in Philadelphia and hired Vincent O'Brien, one of the most successful trainers of the period. McShain bought an estate in Killarney, Ireland, in 1959 and retired there in 1965, although he continued to manage his business from there until 1974. During these years, McShain devoted more time to his outside interests, particularly Catholic charities and education. He died in Killarney on September 9, 1989.

In 1927, McShain married Mary Josephine Horstmann (1907-1998) the daughter of a Philadelphia wool merchant. Mary McShain was active in a number of local Catholic charities. They had one child, Pauline Mary (1928- ), who entered the Convent of the Holy Child Jesus in 1946 and served principally in education and church administration.

From the description of Papers, 1925-1989. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122503567