F. James McDonald
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Francis James McDonald (August 3, 1922 – June 13, 2010) was an American engineer and business executive who worked his way up through the ranks at General Motors, ultimately serving as its president and chief operating officer from 1981 to 1987 during the tenure of chairman and chief executive Roger Smith.


Biography

McDonald was born in
Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...
on August 3, 1922. He was sponsored by the Saginaw Malleable Iron Division to attend the General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan, later known as
Kettering University Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan. It offers Bachelor of Science, bachelor of science and master's degree, master’s degrees in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM (science, technology, engineeri ...
, where he combined engineering courses with time spent in the company's foundries. He served in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
as a submarine engineer during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.Brown, Emma
"Former GM president F. James McDonald dies at 87"
''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', June 17, 2010. Accessed July 2, 2010.
After completing his military service, McDonald went back to General Motors in 1946, at the company's Saginaw Malleable Iron plant. There he designed a new kind of conveyor belt for the facility where the company manufactured engine parts. He was named to head the company's foundry in
Defiance, Ohio Defiance is a city in and the county seat of Defiance County, Ohio, United States, about southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo and northeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana, in Ohio's northwestern corner. The population was 16,494 at the 2010 United State ...
in the mid-1950s and he was named as general manager of the
Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...
division from 1969 to 1972 and then to head the Chevrolet division of GM from 1972 to 1974, both times succeeding
John DeLorean John Zachary DeLorean (January 6, 1925 – March 19, 2005) was an American engineer, inventor, and executive in the U.S. automobile industry, widely known for his work at General Motors and as founder of the DeLorean Motor Company. DeLorean man ...
. McDonald was named to GM's board of directors in 1974 and was chosen as its president in 1981. He conceded the failures of the GM X platform and its poor quality profile compared to foreign cars. He oversaw the consolidation of GM's five car divisions into two car-making units, with the goal of streamlining production and improving quality control. The move was criticized for having eliminated the distinctive styling of each of GM's badges and creating similar appearing vehicles. However, the additional bureaucracy and other problems with the plan led to its ultimate dismantling in 1992 by John F. Smith, Jr. He worked with the
United Auto Workers The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico) ...
to form the UAW-GM Quality Network, a joint effort by management and workers to improve the quality of GM vehicles.via General Motors
"F. James McDonald, Retired GM President, Dies at 87"
PR Newswire, June 14, 2010. Accessed July 2, 2010.
During his tenure, McDonald often disagreed on policy issues with chairman and chief executive Roger Smith, with McDonald focusing on running the business and staying out of the public eye. He stepped down from his post in 1987, having reached GM's mandatory retirement age of 65. Asked for any regrets during his tenure at the automaker, he said he "would make the
Eldorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...
seven inches longer", as his 1985 redesign of the vehicle led to lower sales for the car. McDonald served on the boards of companies such as Georgia-Pacific,
Halliburton Halliburton Company is an American multinational corporation responsible for most of the world's hydraulic fracturing operations. In 2009, it was the world's second largest oil field service company. It has operations in more than 70 countries ...
, H.J. Heinz and
KMart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inc ...
. McDonald had homes in
Harbor Springs, Michigan Harbor Springs is a city and resort community in Emmet County, Michigan. The population was 1,194 in the 2010 census. Harbor Springs is in a sheltered bay on the north shore of the Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. The Little Traverse Lig ...
and
Vero Beach, Florida Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's Treasure Coast. It is thi ...
.via
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

"F. James McDonald, Former G.M. President, Is Dead at 87"
''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', June 15, 2010. Accessed July 2, 2010.
He died of cancer at age 87 on May 13, 2010, at a hospice in Vero Beach. He was survived by his wife, the former Betty Dettenthaler, as well as by three children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, F. James 1922 births 2010 deaths United States Navy officers Deaths from cancer in Florida General Motors executives Kettering University alumni People from Harbor Springs, Michigan People from Vero Beach, Florida United States Navy personnel of World War II American chief operating officers People from Saginaw, Michigan Military personnel from Michigan