J. Roderick MacArthur: Difference between revisions

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'''J. Roderick MacArthur''' ([[1920]]-[[1984]]) was a U.S. businessman and philanthropist. The J. Roderick MacArthur Foundation, a philanthropic organization interested in Civil Liberties in the United States, and the MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Chicago School of Law[http://macarthur.uchicago.edu/about/roderick.html] are named after him. He is the son of billionaire [[John D. MacArthur]] who established the [[John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation]].

==Biography==

J. Roderick MacArthur, known as Rod MacArthur, was born [[December 21]], [[1920]] to the former Louise Ingals and [[John D. MacArthur]]. The couple also had a daughter, Virginia MacArthur. In [[1926]] John D. MacArthur traveled to [[Mexico]] to divorce and two years later married [[Catherine T. MacArthur|Catherine T. Hyland]].

Rod MacArthur attended [[Rollins College]] in [[Florida]] and worked as a 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., and he participated in the campaign that liberated [[France]].

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In any event, J. Roderick Macarthur quickly clashed with the Board of his father’s [[foundation (charity)|foundation]]. The [[Bankers Life and Casualty|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.

TheLargely Boarddue 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.

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 Boardthat board members were acting as executives of [[Bankers Life and Casualty|Bankers Life]] executives 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 and Casualty|Bankers Life]].

TheAfter BoardRod MacArthur blocked the sale of a company for $116 less, the board found a buyer for [[Bankers Life and Casualty|Bankers Life]] that was willing to pay $384 million for the company. Rod agreed to this sale since it was $116 million more than an offer he had blocked.[http://www.learningtogive.org/papers/index.asp?bpid=152&print=yes] SinceAlthough this removed the Bankers Life issue from the suit, the board believed that Rod would drop the suit. However, there were still theRod MacArthur’s allegations that board members and key foundation executives were profiting at the expense of the foundation.

Due to his terminal illness however, Rod MacArthur settled the suit shortly before his death.

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”[http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.959481/k.7895/Frequently_Asked_Questions.htm]. Second, in 1980 at the urging of his son [[John R. MacArthur|John R. “Rick” MacArthur]], then 23, Rod persuaded the Board to partner in creating and funding a Harper's Magazine Foundation to acquire and operate the magazine of the same name. 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.Eventually Rick MacArthur took over the foundation that owned Harper’s.

Two years before hisJohn fatherD. MacArthur died and set up his foundation, Rod MacArthur, used his substantial fortune from the Bradford Exchange, to form his own foundation. As of 2004, the J. Roderick MacArthur Foundation had $22 million in assets[http://macarthur.uchicago.edu/about/roderick.html] and supports liberal causes, including the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C., and the J. Roderick MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Chicago Law School[http://macarthur.uchicago.edu/about/roderick.html]. In the philanthropic world the J. Roderick MacArthur [[foundation (charity)|Foundation]] is known colloquially as "Little Mac" and the [[John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation]] is known as “Big Mac”.

==External links==

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*[http://macarthur.uchicago.edu/about/roderick.html/ Website of the J. Roderick MacArthur Justice Center]

*[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20040523/ai_n12547635/pg_1/ 2004 Chicago Sun Article on the Foundation and J. Roderick MacArthur’s early role.]

[[Category:American philanthropists|MacArthur, J. Roderick.]]

[[Category:1920 Births|MacArthur, J. Roderick]]

[[Category:1984 Deaths|MacArthur, J. Roderick]]