Catherine T. MacArthur

Catherine Terese MacArthur (née Hyland; November 23, 1908 – December 15, 1981) was an American philanthropist. With the estate of her husband, businessman and philanthropist John D. MacArthur, she co-founded the MacArthur Foundation, one of the 10 largest philanthropic foundations in the United States.

Catherine MacArthur
Born
Catherine Terese Hyland

(1908-11-23)November 23, 1908
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedDecember 15, 1981(1981-12-15) (aged 73)
Singer Island, Palm Beach Shores, Florida, U.S.
OccupationPhilanthropist
Known forMacArthur Foundation
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1938; died 1978)​

Life

Born Catherine Terese Hyland in 1908, MacArthur was one of nine children of Irish immigrants on Chicago's South Side.[1][2] Her father owned and operated several retail stores, was active in Democratic politics in Chicago, and held several state and local governmental positions.[1]

In 1938 she married John D. MacArthur. In 1935, MacArthur purchased Bankers Life and Casualty for $2,500 and used mass marketing techniques to sell insurance by mail.

Banker's Life was the basis of John's phenomenal success in real estate and insurance. Official Banker's Life press releases verify that Catherine was intimately involved in the business's success. She appears throughout the records under her maiden name, C.T. Hyland, as corporate secretary, director, or both.[3]

In 1963, John purchased the Colonnades Hotel in 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 corner table in the hotel's coffee shop.[4]

When John D. MacArthur died on January 6, 1978, he was worth over $1 billion and reportedly one of the three wealthiest men in the United States.[1]

Death

References
  1. About John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
  2. Kriplen, Nancy (2008), The Eccentric Billionaire: John D. MacArthur--Empire Builder, Reluctant Philanthropist, Relentless Adversary, New York: American Management Association, p. 50, ISBN 978-0814408896
  3. Learning to Give - John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Archived 2007-07-15 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Lowery, Fred, "Celebrity Days Remembered As Colonnades Hotel Is Razed", South Florida Sun-Sentinel, February 17, 1990
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