Donal McLaughlin
Encyclopedia
Donal McLaughlin was an American
architect
who played a major role in the design of the Flag of the United Nations
.
and was raised in the Bronx
. His choice to pursue architecture mirrored that of his grandfather, James W. McLaughlin
, who designed the Cincinnati Art Museum
.
McLaughlin attended Yale University
, where his thesis addressed the issues of circular design. He graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture
degree in 1933 from the Yale School of Architecture
. He earned an architecture diploma from the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design
in 1937.
After graduation, despite the difficult economic climate of the Great Depression
, he was able to get a position with the National Park Service
in Washington, D.C.
. That led to positions in New York City
with the industrial design
firm of Raymond Loewy
and Walter Dorwin Teague
, where he worked on the Eastman Kodak
and U.S. Steel
pavilions at the 1939 New York World's Fair
in New York. He also designed the interior of Tiffany & Co.
's flagship store, located at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street
in Manhattan
, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
During World War II
, McLaughlin worked for the Office of Strategic Services
, where he worked for "Wild Bill" Donovan
, then head of the OSS as chief of graphics. During the war, his group used visual design to help present information that could be easily understood, including Army orientation films and cigarette packages printed with instructions for derailing German trains. His team created the design for the courtroom used in the Nuremberg Trials
, as well as the visual displays used by the prosecution that helped obtain convictions of Nazi war criminals.
The organizers of the 1945 United Nations Conference on International Organization
in San Francisco, California
wanted an insignia that could be made into a pin to identify delegates that could also be used as a logo for the international event. United States Secretary of State
Edward Stettinius, Jr.
was chairman of the U.S. delegation, and realized that a temporary design might become the permanent symbol of the United Nations. He formed a committee headed by Oliver Lundquist that developed a design consisting of a world map surrounded by leaves from a design created by McLaughlin. McLaughlin and his fellow designers came up with about nine different designs. The one they chose had to fit on a circular pin that was one and one-sixteenth inches in diameter and McLaughlin referred back to his thesis, shifting the projection off center so that all of the countries fit. The continents were surrounded by olive branches to represent peace with the name, location and date of the conference on the outer edge.
McLaughlin celebrated his 100th birthday on July 26, 2007. McLaughlin's father also reached the century mark, upon which the elder McLaughlin remarked that he had given up smoking cigarettes and drinking in his early 30s and credited his longevity to having "never exerted myself with too much work or ambition".
due to esophageal cancer
. He was survived by two daughters, a son, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He married the former Laura Nevius in 1937, who died in 1998.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
who played a major role in the design of the Flag of the United Nations
Flag of the United Nations
The flag of the United Nations was adopted on October 20, 1947, and consists of the official emblem of the United Nations in white on a blue background. The emblem's design is described as:...
.
Early life and education
McLaughlin was born on July 26, 1907, in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and was raised in the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. His choice to pursue architecture mirrored that of his grandfather, James W. McLaughlin
James W. McLaughlin
James W. McLaughlin was a Cincinnati, Ohio architect. He studied to be an architect working under famed James Keys Wilson. He fought in the American Civil War serving in the Union Army. He become a popular builder in Cincinnati during the late 19th century...
, who designed the Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Art Museum
The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of the oldest art museums in the United States. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies. Its collection of over 60,000 works make it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Midwest.Museum founders debated locating...
.
McLaughlin attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where his thesis addressed the issues of circular design. He graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture
Bachelor of Architecture
The Bachelor of Architecture is an undergraduate academic degree designed to satisfy the academic component of professional accreditation bodies, to be followed by a period of practical training prior to professional examination and registration. It is awarded for a course of study that lasts up...
degree in 1933 from the Yale School of Architecture
Yale School of Architecture
The Yale School of Architecture is one of the constituent professional schools of Yale University. It is generally considered to be one of the most prestigious architecture schools in the world.- History :...
. He earned an architecture diploma from the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design
Beaux-Arts Institute of Design
The Beaux-Arts Institute of Design was an art and architectural school at 304 East 44th Street in Turtle Bay, Manhattan, in New York City...
in 1937.
Design career
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, he was able to get a position with the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. That led to positions in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with the industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
firm of Raymond Loewy
Raymond Loewy
Raymond Loewy was an industrial designer, and the first to be featured on the cover of Time Magazine, on October 31, 1949. Born in France, he spent most of his professional career in the United States...
and Walter Dorwin Teague
Walter Dorwin Teague
Walter Dorwin Teague was an American architect, designer and one of the most prolific American industrial designers in terms of volume of completed work. Teague's name and vision lives on through the legacy of his company....
, where he worked on the Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
and U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
pavilions at the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
in New York. He also designed the interior of Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. is an American jewelry and silverware company. As part of its branding, the company is strongly associated with its Tiffany Blue , which is a registered trademark.- History :...
's flagship store, located at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street
57th Street (Manhattan)
57th Street is one of New York City's major east-west thoroughfares, which runs east-west in the Midtown section of the borough of Manhattan, from the New York City Department of Sanitation's dock on the Hudson River at the West Side Highway to a small park overlooking the East River built on a...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, McLaughlin worked for the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
, where he worked for "Wild Bill" Donovan
William Joseph Donovan
William Joseph Donovan was a United States soldier, lawyer and intelligence officer, best remembered as the wartime head of the Office of Strategic Services...
, then head of the OSS as chief of graphics. During the war, his group used visual design to help present information that could be easily understood, including Army orientation films and cigarette packages printed with instructions for derailing German trains. His team created the design for the courtroom used in the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
, as well as the visual displays used by the prosecution that helped obtain convictions of Nazi war criminals.
United Nations Conference on International Organization
The United Nations Conference on International Organization was a convention of delegates from 50 Allied nations that took place from 25 April 1945 to 26 June 1945 in San Francisco, California. At this convention, the delegates reviewed and rewrote the Dumbarton Oaks agreements...
in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
wanted an insignia that could be made into a pin to identify delegates that could also be used as a logo for the international event. United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Edward Stettinius, Jr.
Edward Stettinius, Jr.
Edward Reilly Stettinius, Jr. was United States Secretary of State under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, serving from 1944 to 1945....
was chairman of the U.S. delegation, and realized that a temporary design might become the permanent symbol of the United Nations. He formed a committee headed by Oliver Lundquist that developed a design consisting of a world map surrounded by leaves from a design created by McLaughlin. McLaughlin and his fellow designers came up with about nine different designs. The one they chose had to fit on a circular pin that was one and one-sixteenth inches in diameter and McLaughlin referred back to his thesis, shifting the projection off center so that all of the countries fit. The continents were surrounded by olive branches to represent peace with the name, location and date of the conference on the outer edge.
McLaughlin celebrated his 100th birthday on July 26, 2007. McLaughlin's father also reached the century mark, upon which the elder McLaughlin remarked that he had given up smoking cigarettes and drinking in his early 30s and credited his longevity to having "never exerted myself with too much work or ambition".
Death
McLaughlin died on September 27, 2009, at the age of 102 in his home in Garrett Park, MarylandGarrett Park, Maryland
Garrett Park is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland. It was named for a former president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, but whether specifically for John Garrett or Robert W. Garrett is a matter of some disagreement between sources. The population was 917 at the 2000 census...
due to esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
. He was survived by two daughters, a son, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He married the former Laura Nevius in 1937, who died in 1998.