Background
He is the grandson of Ralston-Purina founder and Saint Louis businessman William H. Danforth, and the brother of former United States. Senator John Danforth. William Danforth was born and grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri.
academic administrator physician
He is the grandson of Ralston-Purina founder and Saint Louis businessman William H. Danforth, and the brother of former United States. Senator John Danforth. William Danforth was born and grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri.
He attended Saint Louis Country Day School, Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, and then transferred to Princeton University, graduating in 1947. This continued a connection to the University started by his grandfather, who had attended the University"s Manual Arts School.
He was chancellor of Washington University in Saint Louis from 1971 until 1995. After attending Harvard Medical School and interning at Barnes Hospital in Saint Louis, he served as a physician in the Navy during the Korean War. Danforth returned to Saint Louis and joined the medical faculty of Washington University in 1957 as a cardiologist.
He became Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs before being named Washington University"s 13th Chancellor in 1971, replacing Thomas H. Eliot.
During his 24 years at the helm of the University, he is credited with bringing the University to national stature, completing several major capital campaigns, tripling the number of scholarships, increasing the endowment by an order of magnitude and establishing 70 endowed faculty chairs. Despite a rough start during the student unrest of the late 1960s and 1970s he was much loved by students and was commonly referred to as "Uncle Bill" or "Chan Dan".
Chancellor Danforth maintained a clear presence during his entire tenure at Washington University and was frequently seen walking the grounds and talking with students. After retirement in 1995, as one of the longest serving chancellors in the country, he continues to be involved in the University, and has served as the Chair of the Board of Trustees and was named Chancellor Emeritus in 1999.
In 2006 the main "Hilltop" Campus of the University was named the Danforth Campus in recognition of the Danforth family"s contributions to the University.
Danforth founded the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in 1998 and is currently Founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Center.
Trustee, Chairman of the Board Danforth Foundation. Trustee American Youth Foundation, since 1963, Princeton University, 1970-1974. President St. Louis Christmas Carols Association, 1958-1974, chairman, since 1975.
Co-chair Barnes/Jewish Hospital, since 1996. Board directors BJC Health Systems, since 1996. Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Academy Arts and Sciences.
Member Institute Medicine.
Married Elizabeth Anne Gray, September 1,1950. Children: Cynthia Danforth Prather, David Gray, Maebelle Danforth Reed, Elizabeth D. Sankey.