Synopses & Reviews
He was a mass of contradictions-a billionaire who wore cheap suits and drove a beat-up car; a brusque and emotionally-distant father who delighted in the company of other people's children; the high-school drop out who made a fortune in insurance and real estate; the ladies' man who built a long-lasting partnership- part romantic and part business with his second wife Catherine. The wealthy tycoon who called himself "a simple country boy, " John D. MacArthur remains one of the most enigmatic and fascinating philanthropists in American history. Stingier than J. Paul Getty, as money-obsessed as Howard Hughes, and as ruthless as Cornelius Vanderbilt, MacArthur was one of the most controversial billionaires this country has ever seen. He rubbed elbows with such luminaries as Bob Hope, President Gerald Ford and Jackie Gleason, yet lived modestly at down-at-the-heels Florida hotel (which he owned), conducting business at a table in its noisy smoke-filled coffee shop. When MacArthur died in 1978 at the age of 80, he was the second wealthiest man in the United States. For nearly thirty years, his name has filtered into the American consciousness through the generous donations of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the bestower of the annual "genius awards" to brilliant individuals in the arts and sciences, but very few of us know the man behind the money. In Nancy Kriplen's sweeping biography, the man we previously knew so little about comes alive. As an accomplished journalist and author, she reveals the good, bad, and ugly about this brash and colorful American who never wanted to be called a philanthropist. From his arduous childhood as the son of a bullying but gifted traveling evangelist to his rise as the owner of Banker's Life and Casualty Insurance Company and his eventual role as a real estate magnate, we see how MacArthur built his fortune. Through interviews with MacArthur's family and friends as well as previously undisclosed letters and papers, The Eccentric Billionaire traces MacArthur's business triumphs, quirky personality, sometimes unsavory dealings, and stormy relationships with family and associates, including his remarkable brother Charlie MacArthur and sister-in-law, actress Helen Hayes. With candor and insight, Kriplen also explores John D.'s tumultuous private life, including his marriage to first wife Louise and his subsequent affair with Catherine T. Hyland, his brother's smart, attractive secretary who would become his second wife and the woman who helped him amass his wealth. An unprecedented look at one of the most significant fortunes in recent years and the remarkable man who built it, The Eccentric Billionaire is an evocative and beautifully written look at one of the most multi-layered figures in American business. Nancy Kriplen, formerly on the staff of Time Magazine, and has also written for The New York Times, Smithsonian, American History Illustrated and other publications. She is the author of the acclaimed biography Dwight Davis: The Man and the Cup. She lives in Indianapolis.
Review
"...a straightforward description of the sometimes difficult, always shrewd billionaire."-- Palm Beach Post
Review
"[A] lively biography....She knows how to spin a yarn and never bogs down in details."-- Bloomberg News
Synopsis
He was hated, feared, and admired. The country's second-richest man at the time of his death, John D. MacArthur (1897-1978) also became one of its great benefactors. Every year, some two dozen American writers, artists, intellectuals, and scientists receive as much as a half million dollars in grants known as the "genius awards" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. But MacArthur was not the benevolent figure he would seem. Now, in this first full biography of John D. MacArthur as he really was, Nancy Kriplen reveals the man behind the myth-the often vulgar, sometimes unethical, always ambitious rogue who would become one of America's wealthiest men. The Eccentric Billionaire chronicles how MacArthur amassed his fortune, rising from a poverty-saturated childhood as the son of a fire-and-brimstone preacher to become an insurance and real estate mogul. As sole owner of Bankers Life and Casualty, he also built a real estate empire that spanned the continent. Based on interviews with members of the MacArthur family as well as previously undiscovered letters and papers, this book reveals MacArthur's tumultuous private life, including his quickie divorce from his first wife and his Mexican marriage to Catherine, his brother's cute, clever teenage secretary who would help him on his climb to riches. The author also explores MacArthur's relationships with his family and friends, including his brother, the playwright Charles MacArthur, and sister-in-law, the great actress Helen Hayes. Extensively researched and beautifully written, The Eccentric Billionaire is a revealing look at a man whose influence has extended in ways he never dreamed.
Synopsis
"In The Eccentric Billionare, former Time business researcher Nancy Kriplen offers an incisive warts-and-all account of the business and personal life of John D. MacArthur."
-- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
About the Author
Nancy Kriplen (Indianapolis, IN) is a former business researcher for Time, and has also written for The New York Times, The Indianapolis Times, and Smithsonian. She is the author of the acclaimed biography Dwight Davis: The Man and the Cup.
Table of Contents
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Prologue 1
Chapter 1 Ransoming the Ruby 3
Chapter 2 Breaking the Sod 11
Chapter 3 Baby John 17
Chapter 4 Life with Father 23
Chapter 5 The Competitor 33
Chapter 6 Every Little Breeze 43
Chapter 7 Catherine T 49
Chapter 8 Staying Afloat 57
Chapter 9 The Mother Lode 63
Chapter 10 Divorce … and Death 73
Chapter 11 Hat Trick 85
Chapter 12 Down Among the Sheltering Palms 95
Chapter 13 Banyan Trees and Hibiscus Hedges 103
Chapter 14 Hogs Get Slaughtered 109
Chapter 15 The Colonnades 117
Chapter 16 Founding a Foundation 127
Chapter 17 Palm Beach Prometheus 135
Chapter 18 Lost and Sometimes Found 141
Chapter 19 Royal Summons 151
Chapter 20 And with Dignity 161
Chapter 21 Genius 169
Location of Collections Cited 179
Notes 181
Selected Bibliography 213
Index 217