William T. Kirby (1911–1990) was an Illinois lawyer who helped found and direct the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Early and family life

Born in Chicago, Kirby's family moved to

Waukegan, Illinois ''(Fortress or Trading Post)'' , image_flag = , image_seal = , blank_emblem_size = 150 , blank_emblem_type = Logo , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivisi ...

, where Kirby was educated in the local public schools. He then attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

and

Notre Dame Law School Notre Dame Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Notre Dame. Established in 1869, it is the oldest continuously operating Catholic law school in the United States. ND Law is ranked 22nd among the nation's "Top 1 ...

during the Great Depression. 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 ...

, Kirby became an officer with the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

. He married and at the time of his death he would be survived by his son, three daughters; a sister, and four granddaughters.

Career

After admission to the Illinois bar, in 1932 Kirby became a Judge in the Illinois Bankruptcy court. Later Kirby was an Assistant Attorney General for Illinois for four years. Kirby first drew public attention as the defense attorney for

Preston Tucker Preston Thomas Tucker (21 September 1903 – 26 December 1956) was an American automobile entrepreneur. He is most remembered for his Tucker 48 sedan, initially nicknamed the "Tucker Torpedo", an automobile which introduced many features ...

, whose development and financing of an advanced automobile, the

1948 Tucker Sedan The Tucker 48, commonly referred to as the Tucker Torpedo, was an automobile conceived by Preston Tucker while in Ypsilanti, Michigan and briefly produced in Chicago, Illinois in 1948. Only 51 cars were made including their prototype before the ...

(also nicknamed the Tucker Torpedo) led to a controversial SEC inquiry and stock fraud trial in 1949. The jury found Tucker and his colleagues not guilty. Kirby became the attorney for wealthy real estate investor and insurance executive

John D. MacArthur John Donald MacArthur (March 6, 1897 – January 6, 1978) was an American insurance magnate, real estate investor and philanthropist who established the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, benefactor in the MacArthur Fellowships. ...

. From 1965 through 1980, Kirby was a partner in the Chicago law firm of Hubachek, Kelly, Rauch & Kirby. Kirby was John MacArthur's attorney for about 25 years before retiring from the legal partnership to work for the

MacArthur Foundation The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private foundation that makes grants and impact investments to support non-profit organizations in approximately 50 countries around the world. It has an endowment of $7.0 billion and p ...

, which he helped create as described below.

McArthur Foundation

Kirby and Paul Doolen, MacArthur's

CFO The chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization that is assigned the primary responsibility for managing the company's finances, including financial planning, management of financial risks, record-keeping, and financ ...

, suggested that the MacArthurs create a foundation for charity but they left no instructions as to what the foundation's focus should be, that was left to the small board of directors whom John and Catherine MacArthur trusted. The legal document, written by Kirby, that created the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation was two pages long and written in plain English. In August 1978, John and Catherine MacArthur appointed Rod MacArthur to the Foundation board, Kirby suggested that the MacArthur Foundation create the Fellows Program. The idea first came to Kirby's attention through

George E. Burch George Edward Burch, M.D. (1910–1986) was a shaper of modern cardiology during the middle part of the twentieth century, whose accomplishments included elucidating the fundamental physiological basis of important cardiovascular diseases, in add ...

, a doctor at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

. After bringing the idea to the foundation's original board members, Kirby was instrumental in shaping it. William T. Kirby served as vice chairman for many years and chairman (1988-1990) of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and also supported public television and independent filmmakers. While running the McArthur Foundation, Kirby also introduced and supported programs including: * program funding

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...

research * focus on

community development The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." It is a broad concept, applied to the practices of civic leaders, activists ...

* focus on the world's environment * MacArthur's leadership in their first 15 years in funding independent media such as early funding of

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, the creation of P.O.V, Ken Burns' '' The Civil War'' series, media arts centers across the United States,

Bill Moyers Bill Moyers (born Billy Don Moyers, June 5, 1934) is an American journalist and political commentator. Under the Johnson administration he served from 1965 to 1967 as the eleventh White House Press Secretary. He was a director of the Counci ...

' ''

The Power of Myth ''The Power of Myth'' is a book based on the 1988 PBS documentary ''Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth''. The documentary was originally broadcast as six one-hour conversations between mythologist Joseph Campbell (1904–1987) and journalist ...

'' and all of his subsequent programs, the '' MacNeil Lehrer News Hour'', and the creation of

ITVS ITVS (Independent Television Service) is a service in the United States which funds and presents documentaries on public television through distribution by PBS and American Public Television, new media projects on the Internet, and the weekly seri ...

(Independent Television Service).

Death and legacy

Kirby died in

West Bend, Wisconsin West Bend is the county seat of Washington County, Wisconsin, Washington County, Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,752. History Early history and settlement Northeastern Washington County's earliest known inhabitants wer ...

of a heart attack in October 1990. He was 79 years old and lived in Chicago.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirby, William T. 1911 births Kirby, William T Lawyers from Chicago People from Waukegan, Illinois Notre Dame Law School alumni

Early and family life

Career

McArthur Foundation

Death and legacy

See also

References