Catherine T. MacArthur
Encyclopedia
Catherine T. MacArthur was the wife of U.S. businessman and philanthropist John D. MacArthur
and was an active participant in his businesses and philanthropies. One of the ten largest philanthropic foundations
in the United States, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is named after the couple.
, eventually holding several state and local governmental positions. In 1928 she married John D. MacArthur. It was MacArthur’s second marriage and her first. In 1935, John D. MacArthur purchased Bankers Life and Casualty
for $2,500, and used mass marketing techniques to sell insurance through the mail. Catherine created the business procedures for Bankers Life which would be used until tremendous growth finally made them obsolete.
Banker's Life was the basis for John's phenomenal business success in Real Estate and Insurance. Both the Foundation and Banker’s Life official press releases state that Catherine was very involved in the success of the businesses and she appears throughout the records of MacArthur’s various companies under her maiden name, C.T. Hyland—in the position of corporate secretary, director, or both.
Despite their vast wealth, the MacArthur’s were known for their frugality. In 1963, when he was already one of the wealthiest men in the United States, John MacArthur purchased the Colonnades Hotel in the town of Palm Beach Shores
on Singer Island, Florida
. Catherine lived with her husband in a modest apartment overlooking the parking lot while John conducted his business from a back booth in the hotel coffee shop.
When John D. MacArthur died on January 6, 1978, he was worth in excess of $1 billion and was reportedly one of the three richest men in the United States.
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 Catherine T. MacArthur, J. Roderick MacArthur
(a son from John D. MacArthur’s first marriage), three officers of Bankers Life and Casualty, and Radio Commentator Paul Harvey
.
Catherine T. MacArthur died December 15, 1981 in the Colonnades Hotel apartment.
John D. MacArthur
John Donald MacArthur was an American businessman and philanthropist who established the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, benefactor in the MacArthur Fellowships.-Early life:...
and was an active participant in his businesses and philanthropies. One of the ten largest philanthropic foundations
Foundation (charity)
A foundation is a legal categorization of nonprofit organizations that will typically either donate funds and support to other organizations, or provide the source of funding for its own charitable purposes....
in the United States, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is named after the couple.
Life
Born Catherine T. Hyland in 1908, she was one of five children of Irish immigrants on Chicago’s South Side. Her father owned and operated several retail stores and was active in Democratic politics in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, eventually holding several state and local governmental positions. In 1928 she married John D. MacArthur. It was MacArthur’s second marriage and her first. In 1935, John D. MacArthur purchased Bankers Life and Casualty
Bankers Life and Casualty
Established in 1879 in Chicago, Bankers Life and Casualty Company focuses on the insurance needs of the retirement market. The nationwide company, a subsidiary of CNO Financial Group, Inc...
for $2,500, and used mass marketing techniques to sell insurance through the mail. Catherine created the business procedures for Bankers Life which would be used until tremendous growth finally made them obsolete.
Banker's Life was the basis for John's phenomenal business success in Real Estate and Insurance. Both the Foundation and Banker’s Life official press releases state that Catherine was very involved in the success of the businesses and she appears throughout the records of MacArthur’s various companies under her maiden name, C.T. Hyland—in the position of corporate secretary, director, or both.
Despite their vast wealth, the MacArthur’s were known for their frugality. In 1963, when he was already one of the wealthiest men in the United States, John MacArthur purchased the Colonnades Hotel in the town of Palm Beach Shores
Palm Beach Shores, Florida
Palm Beach Shores is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,269 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 1,511.-Geography:...
on Singer Island, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Catherine lived with her husband in a modest apartment overlooking the parking lot while John conducted his business from a back booth in the hotel coffee shop.
When John D. MacArthur died on January 6, 1978, he was worth in excess of $1 billion and was reportedly one of the three richest men in the United States.
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 Catherine T. MacArthur, J. Roderick MacArthur
J. Roderick MacArthur
John Roderick MacArthur 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 Northwestern University School of Law are named after him. He is the...
(a son from John D. MacArthur’s first marriage), three officers of Bankers Life and Casualty, and Radio Commentator Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
.
Catherine T. MacArthur died December 15, 1981 in the Colonnades Hotel apartment.