William Johnson McDonald
Encyclopedia
William Johnson McDonald (December 21, 1844 – February 8, 1926, though some sources give his date of death as February 6
) was a Paris, Texas
. banker who left $850,000 (the bulk of his fortune) to the University of Texas System
to endow an astronomical observatory.
The bequest was unexpected, and his will was contested, but after prolonged legal disputes the university received the money. At the time, the university had no faculty of astronomy, so in 1932 it formed a collaboration with Otto Struve
at the University of Chicago
, who supplied astronomers.
The McDonald Observatory
is named after him, with Otto Struve becoming the first director.
McDonald was the eldest of the three sons of Sarah Johnson and Henry Graham McDonald of Paris, Texas
. As a young man, he was a private in the Confederate
Army. He became wealthy through his businesses as a lawyer and a banker, but remained frugal his entire life. He never married and had no children.
) was a Paris, Texas
Paris, Texas
Paris, Texas is a city located northeast of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex in Lamar County, Texas, in the United States. It is situated in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods. Physiographically, these regions are part of the West Gulf Coastal Plain. In 1900, 9,358 people lived...
. banker who left $850,000 (the bulk of his fortune) to the University of Texas System
University of Texas System
The University of Texas System encompasses 15 educational institutions in Texas, of which nine are academic universities and six are health institutions. The system is headquartered in Austin and has a total enrollment of over 190,000 students...
to endow an astronomical observatory.
The bequest was unexpected, and his will was contested, but after prolonged legal disputes the university received the money. At the time, the university had no faculty of astronomy, so in 1932 it formed a collaboration with Otto Struve
Otto Struve
Otto Struve was a Russian astronomer. In Russian, his name is sometimes given as Otto Lyudvigovich Struve ; however, he spent most of his life and his entire scientific career in the United States...
at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, who supplied astronomers.
The McDonald Observatory
McDonald Observatory
The McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near the unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Fowlkes and Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas...
is named after him, with Otto Struve becoming the first director.
McDonald was the eldest of the three sons of Sarah Johnson and Henry Graham McDonald of Paris, Texas
Paris, Texas
Paris, Texas is a city located northeast of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex in Lamar County, Texas, in the United States. It is situated in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods. Physiographically, these regions are part of the West Gulf Coastal Plain. In 1900, 9,358 people lived...
. As a young man, he was a private in the Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Army. He became wealthy through his businesses as a lawyer and a banker, but remained frugal his entire life. He never married and had no children.