John D. MacArthur

John Donald MacArthur (March 6, 1897 – January 6, 1978) was an American insurance magnate, real estate investor and philanthropist who established the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, benefactor in the MacArthur Fellowships. Early life John Donald MacArthur was born on March 6, 1897, in Pittston, Pennsylvania, as the seventh child to Georginna and Reverend William Telfer MacArthur. He moved from Pittston to Chicago, Illinois, at the age of five. He and his many siblings grew up in poverty, the children of an itinerant Baptist preacher and his resourceful wife. His father went through many evangelical trainings, moving his family all around the country, from Chicago to Nyack, New York, to Springfield, Massachusetts. His sister-in-law was the actress Helen Hayes. His brother, American playwright and Academy Award winning screenwriter Charles MacArthur, co-authored the play The Front Page. John MacArthur dropped out of school after eighth grade and became a salesman. Career World War I MacArthur joined the U.S. Navy and then the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War I. He was medically discharged from service.