J. Roderick MacArthur: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|American businessman (1920–1984)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}

{{Infobox person

| name = John Roderick MacArthur

| image = <!-- just the filename, without the File: or Image: prefix or enclosing [[brackets]] -->

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = December 21, 1920 <!-- = {{Birth date and age|YYYY1920|MM12|DD21}} or {{Birth-date and age|Month DD, YYYY}} -->

| birth_place = [[San Francisco]], [[California]], U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1984|12|15|1920|12|21}}

| death_place = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], U.S.

| burial_place = [[Graceland Cemetery]]

| nationality = American

| other_names =

| known_for = [[Bradford Exchange]]

| occupation = businessmanBusinessman and philanthropist

| alma_mater = [[Rollins College]]

| spouse = Christiane L'Entendart (m. 1947)

| children = 3, including [[John R. MacArthur]]

| parents = [[John D. MacArthur]]<br/>Louise Ingalls

| relatives = [[Charles MacArthur]] (uncle)<br/>[[Helen Hayes]] (aunt)<br/>[[James MacArthur]] (cousin)

}}

'''John Roderick MacArthur''' (December 21, 1920 – December 15, 1984) was a U.S. businessman and philanthropist. in Chicago. The J. Roderick MacArthur Foundation, a philanthropic organization interestedsupporting in Civilcivil Libertiesrights in the United States, and the MacArthur Justice Center at the Northwestern University School of Law<ref>http://www.law.northwestern.edu/macarthur</ref> are named after him. He is the son of [[John D. MacArthur]] whowas established thein [[Johnhis D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation]]name.

The foundation established the MacArthur Justice Center, a public interest law firm that formed an alliance in 2006 at the [[Northwestern University School of Law]], and litigates for civil rights.<ref name="northwestern.edu">{{cite web|url=http://www.law.northwestern.edu/macarthur|title=Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center: Bluhm Legal Clinic, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law|website=www.law.northwestern.edu|accessdate=26 May 2018}}</ref> In addition, MacArthur Justice centers have been opened in [[Louisiana]] (2013), [[Mississippi]], in an association with the law school at [[University of Mississippi]] (2014); [[Missouri]] (2016); and [[Washington, D.C.]] (2017).

He is the son of [[John D. MacArthur]], who established the [[John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation]] in his will. It has funded the MacArthur fellowships, grants to authors, artists and scientists.

==Biography==

J. Roderick MacArthur, known as Rod MacArthur, was born December 21, 1920, to the former Louise IngalsIngalls and John D. MacArthur. The couple also had a daughter, Virginia MacArthur. In 19261937 John D. MacArthur traveled to [[Mexico]] to divorceobtain anda twodivorce. yearsOne year later he married [[Catherine T. MacArthur|Catherine T. Hyland]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/07/archives/new-jersey-pages-john-d-macarthur-billionaire-dies-john-d-marthur.html | title=John D.MacArthur, Billionaire, Dies | work=The New York Times | date=January 7, 1978 | last1=Kleiman | first1=Dena }}</ref>

Rod MacArthur attended [[Rollins College]] in [[Florida]] and worked as a [[stringer (journalism)|stringer]] for the [[Associated Press]] in [[Mexico]]. During [[World War II]], he joined the [[AFS Intercultural Programs|American Field Service]], serving with the [[French Army]] in the ambulance corp.corps, and he participated in the campaign that liberated [[France]].

He worked for his father in the insurance industry before they became estranged. In 1973, while working with a company that sold ceramic collectablecollectible plates, MacArthur noticed that the collectible ceramic-collectible market was chaotic. He started the [[Bradford Exchange]], whichand by the time of his death, it sold about 90% percent of all the collectablecollectible plates in the world. Often credited with becoming "a self-made millionaire,", inMacArthur actuality MacArthurdid hadhave some financial backing from his father, althoughbut the ideaconcept, business plan and effort were indeed Rod MacArthur's own. In 1975, oncebehind the exchange was successful, his eccentric father claimed that Bradford Exchange waswere his business and John D.Rod MacArthur seized the Bradford Exchange's customer lists and put the on hand inventory under lock and keyown. J. Roderick MacArthur then organized a "private posse" that broke into his father's corporate headquarters in [[Chicago]] and hustled the inventory into a waiting fleet of trucks.

In 1975, once the business had become successful, MacArthur's father claimed that the Bradford Exchange was ''his'' business, seizing its customer lists and putting the on-hand inventory under lock and key. Rod MacArthur then organized a group of employees to enter his father's warehouse in Northbrook, Illinois, and hustle the inventory into a waiting fleet of trucks. He reestablished the business away from his father.

== Personal life ==

Rod MacArthur married Christiane L'Entendart in Paris in 1947 and had a daughter and two sons, one of them the publisher and president of ''[[Harper's Magazine]]'', [[John R. MacArthur|John R. "Rick" MacArthur]].

==Personal Death life==

[[File:Grave of John Roderick MacArthur (1920–1984) at Graceland Cemetery, Chicago.jpg|thumb|right|150px|MacArthur's grave at Graceland Cemetery]]

Rod Macarthur died December 15, 1984 at age 63 from [[pancreatic cancer]]. He is buried in [[Graceland Cemetery]] in Chicago. His epitaph, written in English using Greek letters, is ''ονε φοοτ ιν φαιριελανδ'' ("[[Eleanor Farjeon|one foot in fairyland]]").

Rod MacArthur married Christiane L'Entendart in Paris in 1947. andThey had a daughter, Solange, and two sons,. one[[John ofR. themMacArthur|John Roderick "Rick" MacArthur]] later became the publisher and president of ''[[Harper's Magazine]]'', [[John R. MacArthur|John R. "Rick" MacArthur]].

==Death==

Rod MacarthurMacArthur died December 15, 1984 at age 63, from [[pancreatic cancer]] six days before his 64th birthday. He is buried in [[Graceland Cemetery]] in Chicago. His epitaph, written in English using Greek letters, is ''ονε φοοτ ιν φαιριελανδ'' ("[[Eleanor Farjeon|one foot in fairylandfairieland]]").

==Philanthropic endeavors==

MacArthur reconciled with his father before John D. MacArthur died on January 6, 1978 (of pancreatic cancer). He named MacArthur to the board of his [[foundation (charity)|foundation]], which was founded according to his will. At that point, John D. MacArthur was worth in excess of $1 billion and was reportedly one of the three richest men in the United States.

{{more citations needed|date=March 2017}}

John D. MacArthur bequeathed ninety-two percent of his estate to begin the [[John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation]]. The Foundation's first Board of Directors, per John D. MacArthur's will, included J. Roderick MacArthur, [[Catherine T. MacArthur]] (his second wife), his attorney [[William T. Kirby]], two officers of [[Bankers Life and Casualty]], and radio commentator [[Paul Harvey]].

Rod MacArthur's son, [[John R. MacArthur|John Roderick "Rick" MacArthur]], has charged publicly:

Father and son reconciled before John D. MacArthur died on January 6, 1978, (also of pancreatic cancer, the disease that would kill his son six years later) and he named Rod MacArthur to the board of his [[foundation (charity)|foundation]]. At that point, John D. MacArthur was worth in excess of $1 billion and was reportedly one of the three richest men in the United States. John D. MacArthur left ninety-two percent of his estate to begin the [[John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation]]. The composition of the Foundation's first Board of Director's, per John D. MacArthur's will, included J. Roderick MacArthur, [[Catherine T. MacArthur]] (his second wife), his attorney [[William T. Kirby]], two officers of [[Bankers Life and Casualty]], and Radio Commentator [[Paul Harvey]]. John D. MacArthur grandson, and Rod MacArthur's son, [[John R. MacArthur|John R. "Rick" MacArthur]] has charged publicly:

"''The idea behind the foundation was as a tax dodge that he thought would allow his business executives to run his company forever. He clearly didn't understand the tax laws''."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20040523/ai_n12547635/pg_1|title=FindArticles.com - CBSi|website=www.findarticles.com|accessdate=26 May 2018}}</ref>

In any event, J. RoderickRod MacarthurMacArthur quickly clashed with the Boardboard of his father's foundation. The Bankers Life executives and Paul Harvey held conservative views regarding the structure and size of the board, its purpose, and issues related to the sale of the business.

"''The idea behind the foundation was as a tax dodge that he thought would allow his business executives to run his company forever. He clearly didn't understand the tax laws''."<ref>http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20040523/ai_n12547635/pg_1</ref>

Largely due to Rod MacArthur's efforts, the board was expanded to thirteen members in 1979. The new members had backgrounds from academia, science, government, and business. This board now openly and publicly foughtargued over the grants that were made to favorite board member causes, often trading votes among themselves. Even though there was support for each board member's causes, an extremely bitter and public argument erupted between Rod MacArthur and former U.S. Treasury Secretary [[William E. Simon]] over board grants to a number of conservative causes Simon supported. Eventually Simon resigned from the board.

In any event, J. Roderick Macarthur quickly clashed with the Board of his father's foundation. The Bankers Life executives and Paul Harvey held conservative views regarding the structure and size of the board, its purpose and the sale of the business.

Rod MacArthur continuedfiled totwo belawsuits unhappyin withan effort to redirect the foundationboard and its managementfoundation. He launched two lawsuits, the first inIn February 1984 againsthe hissued fellow board members, charging in essence that board membersthey were acting as executives of Bankers Life and were looking out for their own best interest and not the needs of the foundation. His suit alsoHe alleged that the foundation was not managing its assets properly. MacArthur further claimedsaid that high fees were being paid to board members for their foundation work, and he feltbelieved that Bankers Life was not being managed well and had lost value. He requested that either the foundation be either dissolved or that the court appoint a receiver to manage and sell Bankers Life.

Largely due to Rod MacArthur's efforts, the board was expanded to thirteen members in 1979. The new members had backgrounds from academia, science, government, and business. This board now openly and publicly fought over the grants that were made to favorite board member causes, often trading votes among themselves. Even though there was support for each board member's causes an extremely bitter and public argument erupted between Rod MacArthur and former U.S. Treasury Secretary [[William E. Simon]] over board grants to a number of conservative causes Simon supported. Eventually Simon resigned from the board.

After Rod MacArthur blocked the sale of theBankers companyLife forat $116268 million less, the board found a buyer for Bankers Life that was willing to pay $384 million for the company.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.learningtogive.org/papers/index.asp?bpid=152&print=yes |title=John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (Informational Paper) |accessdate=2006-09-22 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312074758/http://www.learningtogive.org/papers/index.asp?bpid=152&print=yes |archivedate=2007-03-12 }}</ref> AlthoughThis thissale removed the Bankers Life issue from the suit, there were still Rod. MacArthur's allegations that board members and key foundation executives were profiting at the expense of the foundation were still open.

Rod MacArthur continued to be unhappy with the foundation and its management. He launched two lawsuits, the first in February 1984 against his fellow board members charging in essence that board members were acting as executives of Bankers Life and were looking out for their own best interest and not the needs of the foundation. His suit also alleged that the foundation was not managing its assets properly. MacArthur further claimed that high fees were being paid to board members for their foundation work and he felt that Bankers Life was not being managed well and had lost value. He requested that the foundation be either dissolved or that the court appoint a receiver to manage and sell Bankers Life.

While still on the board of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, MacArthur pushed the Board to offer the MacArthur fellowships, also called "Genius Grants".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.959481/k.7895/Frequently_Asked_Questions.htm |title=Fellows FAQ - MacArthur Foundation |accessdate=2013-10-11 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204053858/http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.959481/k.7895/Frequently_Asked_Questions.htm |archivedate=2012-02-04 }}</ref>

After Rod MacArthur blocked the sale of the company for $116 million less, the board found a buyer for Bankers Life that was willing to pay $384 million for the company.<ref>http://www.learningtogive.org/papers/index.asp?bpid=152&print=yes</ref> Although this removed the Bankers Life issue from the suit, there were still Rod MacArthur's allegations that board members and key foundation executives were profiting at the expense of the foundation.

Rod MacArthur made two further lasting and important contributions while on the board of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. First, he is the person who pushed the Board to offer the famous MacArthur fellowships, also called "Genius Grants".<ref>http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.959481/k.7895/Frequently_Asked_Questions.htm</ref> Second, in 1980 at the urging of his son John R. "Rick" MacArthur, then 23, Rodthe senior MacArthur persuaded the Board to partner in creating and funding a Harper's Magazine Foundation, in order to acquire and operate the''[[Harper's magazineMagazine]]'', ofwhich thehad been samestruggling namefinancially. This new entity acquired ''[[Harper's Magazine]]'' (which was then losing nearly $2 million per year and was on the verge of ceasing publication) for $250,000. Rick (now called Roderick) MacArthur eventually took over the foundation that owned ''Harper's''.

TwoIn years1976 before John D.Rod MacArthur died and set up his foundation, Rod MacArthurhad used his substantial fortune from the Bradford Exchange, to form his own foundation, the J. Roderick MacArthur Foundation. As of 2004, the J. Roderick MacArthur Foundation had $22 million in assets.<ref>{{Wayback |date=20040224050642cite web|url=http://macarthur.uchicago.edu/about/roderick.html |title="J. Roderick MacArthur" |accessdate=2006-09-22 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040224050642/http://macarthur.uchicago.edu/about/roderick.html |archivedate=February 24, 2004 }}, ''The MacArthur Justice Center'', Northwestern University School of Law (archived 2004)</ref> andIt supportshas liberalsupported causes of civil rights and civil liberties, including the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C., and the J.Roderick Roderick& Solange MacArthur Justice Center, ata thepublic [[Northwesterninterest Universitylaw Schoolfirm ofin Law]].Chicago In the philanthropic world, the J. Roderick MacArthur Foundationthat is known colloquially as "Little Mac,"named and themanaged Johnby D.two andof Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is known as "Bighis Mac"children.

In 2006 the MacArthur Justice Center formed an association with the [[Northwestern University School of Law]] and has a clinic there.<ref name="northwestern.edu"/> It has opened additional centers since then: in [[New Orleans]] (2013), in [[Oxford, Mississippi]], in an association with the law school at [[University of Mississippi]] (2014); and in [[Saint Louis, Missouri]] (2016).

==References==

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==External links==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060928174115/http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.959481/k.7895/Frequently_Asked_Questions.htm/ John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Website noting J. Roderick' MacArthur's role in the Genius Grant's]

*[http://www.winstonbrill.com/bril001/html/article_index/articles/1-50/article23_body.html Independent Article about the founding of the Genius Grants] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109061015/http://www.winstonbrill.com/bril001/html/article_index/articles/1-50/article23_body.html |date=November 9, 2006 }}, Winston Brill

*[httphttps://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE2D71638F937A35755C0A96F948260/ letter to the Editor of the New York Times by MacArthur’sMacArthur's Lawyer regarding the Law suits]

*[http://www.law.northwestern.edu/macarthur/ Website of the J. Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center]

*[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20040523/ai_n12547635/pg_1/ 2004The ChicagoJohn SunD. Articleand onCatherine theMacArthur Foundation and J. Roderick MacArthur's early role.], ''Chicago Sun'', 2004

{{Charles MacArthur}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->

| NAME = Macarthur, J. Roderick

| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =

| SHORT DESCRIPTION =

| DATE OF BIRTH = December 21, 1920

| PLACE OF BIRTH =

| DATE OF DEATH = December 15, 1984

| PLACE OF DEATH =

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macarthur, J. Roderick}}

[[Category:American philanthropists]]

[[Category:1920 births]]

[[Category:1984 deaths]]

[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]

[[Category:20th-century American philanthropists]]

[[Category:American Field Service personnel of World War II]]

[[Category:Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago)]]

[[Category:CancerDeaths deathsfrom pancreatic cancer in Illinois]]

[[Category:DeathsBusinesspeople from pancreatic cancerChicago]]

[[Category:PeopleMacArthur fromfamily (Chicago,)|J. IllinoisRoderick]]

[[Category:Rollins College alumni]]

[[Category:Philanthropists from Illinois]]