Background
McDonnell, John was born on July 2, 1938 in County Mayo, Ireland. Arrived in the United States, 1964, became citizen in 1969.
McDonnell, John was born on July 2, 1938 in County Mayo, Ireland. Arrived in the United States, 1964, became citizen in 1969.
McDonnell completed his Bachelor"s in aeronautical engineering at Princeton University in 1960.
McDonnell served as the Chairman of the McDonnell Douglas Corporation from 1988 until its merger with Boeing in 1997 and its Chief Executive Officer from 1988 until 1994, he has been a corporate director at Boeing since the 1997 merger. After McDonnell became Chairman in 1988, he helped create the newsmagazine 90 Days as a way to keep employees and shareholders abreast of what was going on in McDonnell Douglas. After McDonnell Douglas and Boeing merged in 1997, McDonnell himself held the title of largest individual shareholder in the combined company in March 2003.
In addition to his continued involvement with Boeing, he is also a director of BJC HealthCare, chairman of the board of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and vice chairman of the board of Washington University.
McDonnell is also a lifetime trustee of the Saint Louis Science Center. In 2006, McDonnell and the JSM Charitable Trust endowed $10 million to Washington University for the creation of the McDonnell International Scholars Academy.
Commenting on the program McDonnell said, "So far the Academy has progressed beyond my expectations." McDonnell was later named Saint Louis "Citizen of the Year" in 2009. McDonnell resides in the Saint Louis area, and enjoys traveling and tennis as hobbies.
Married Ellen Elias; children: Heather, Sean.