John Dann MacDonald

@Syracuse University, Timeline and Facts ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ John Dann MacDonald was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his thrillers Environmentalists American Harvard University Syracuse University University Of Pennsylvania Wharton School Of The University Of Pennsylvania Writers Novelists Short Story Writers Leo Celebrities John Dann MacDonald was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his thrillers. Even as a child, MacDonald wanted to become a writer but he believed that writing is an inherent skill and he was far beyond it. He tried his hand at several jobs but he became a writer only by accident when his first story was published in the magazine, ‘Story’ that triggered him to write. Eventually he became one of the greatest writers in the genre of ‘thrillers’. He had a large and respectable repertoire of 78 novels and 500 short stories. He was also an environmentalist who was worried about the destruction of the natural environment of his home state, Florida, which induced him to write ‘Travis McGee’. In his novel, ‘Condominium’, he wrote about the impact of hurricanes that upset the living condition of people in Florida. Apart from thrillers, he also dabbled in science fiction, short stories, non-fiction and romantic novels. His prolific writing skills won him a number of awards including ‘The Grandmaster Award’ and the ‘Ben Franklin Award’. Many of his novels like ‘The Executioners’ and ‘The Empty Copper Sea’ were also adapted for the silver screen. Even after two decades of his death, his works still rule the world of paperback with more than 75 million copies of his works available in print.

Personal Details

Birthday: July 24, 1916 Died on: December 28, 1986 Nationality: American Famous: Environmentalists, Harvard University, Syracuse University, University Of Pennsylvania, Wharton School Of The University Of Pennsylvania, Writers, Novelists, Short Story Writers Ideologies: Environmentalists Spouses: Dorothy Prentiss Known as: John D. MacDonald Information Detail Birthday July 24, 1916 Died on December 28, 1986 Nationality American Famous Environmentalists, Harvard University, Syracuse University, University Of Pennsylvania, Wharton School Of The University Of Pennsylvania, Writers, Novelists, Short Story Writers Ideologies Environmentalists Spouses Dorothy Prentiss Known as John D. MacDonald Universities Harvard University,Syracuse University,University Of Pennsylvania,Wharton School Of The University Of Pennsylvania Harvard University University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Syracuse University Notable Alumnis Harvard University Syracuse University University Of Pennsylvania Wharton School Of The University Of Pennsylvania Birth Place Sharon, Pennysylvania Gender Male Father Eugene Macdonald Mother Marguerite Macdonald Sun Sign Leo Born in Sharon, Pennysylvania Famous as Novelist, Short Story Writer Died at Age 70

Sharon, Pennysylvania

John Dann MacDonald born at Unsplash Birth Place

He married Dorothy Prentiss in 1937 and they had a son named John Prentiss. Unsplash Personal Life

He died on 28 December 1986, at the age of 70, when he went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he died of heart attack at a hospital. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee. Unsplash Personal Life

His legacy continues till today with 70 million copies of his works printed. His novels have been acclaimed as the greatest thrillers and conferences on his novels have been conducted ever since 1978. Unsplash Personal Life

John Dann MacDonald was born on 24 July 1916 in Sharon, Pennsylvania, to Eugene and Marguerite Macdonald. His father Eugene, was a business executive. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

His father began work as a treasurer for Savage Arms Corporate and so the family moved to Utica where young Macdonald was educated at local schools and at Utica Free Academy. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

While he was twelve years old, he became sick due to scarlet fever and mastoiditis. This d kept him away from school for many months. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He spent his time reading books and admired the writers for their writing skills. He perceived that writers were born by birth and thought that he was not lucky enough to become one. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

After graduating from the Utica Free Academy in 1933, he enrolled at Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania. He discontinued his education and did a number of odd jobs. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

After completing his graduation in 1939, he took up the job of an insurance salesman and later, as a repossession agent for a bank. He was of outspoken temperament as a result of which he lost many of his jobs. Unsplash Career

In 1940, he joined the the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps. He served in the Burma-China-India theatre and rose to the position of lieutenant colonel. Unsplash Career

During his leisure time, he engaged himself in writing and once sent his wife a story titled, ‘Interlude in India’. Without his knowledge, his wife got it published in the magazine ‘Story’ for $25. Unsplash Career

When MacDonald came to know about this publication, he decided to embark on a career as a writer. In 1945, he was discharged from the army and he started writing stories. Unsplash Career

Within four months of his return, he was able to write around 800,000 words of short stories. Almost every week, he sent them to numerous publishers but became dejected with their rejection. Unsplash Career

‘The Executioners’, written in 1957, is a psychological thriller about a convicted rapist’s oath to avenge the lawyer who put him behind the bars. The novel became the best seller and was adapted for a film titled, ‘Cape Fear’. Unsplash Major Works

His ‘Travis McGee’ detective series, written from 1964 to 1985 was critically acclaimed and earned him the reputation of the undisputable writer of thrillers. The 21 novels in this series were published in 44 languages and were also adapted for films. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	July 24, 1916
Died on	December 28, 1986
Nationality	American
Famous	Environmentalists, Harvard University, Syracuse University, University Of Pennsylvania, Wharton School Of The University Of Pennsylvania, Writers, Novelists, Short Story Writers
Ideologies	Environmentalists
Spouses	Dorothy Prentiss
Known as	John D. MacDonald
Universities	Harvard University,Syracuse University,University Of Pennsylvania,Wharton School Of The University Of Pennsylvania Harvard University University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Syracuse University
Notable Alumnis	Harvard University Syracuse University University Of Pennsylvania Wharton School Of The University Of Pennsylvania
Birth Place	Sharon, Pennysylvania
Gender	Male
Father	Eugene Macdonald
Mother	Marguerite Macdonald
Sun Sign	Leo
Born in	Sharon, Pennysylvania
Famous as	Novelist, Short Story Writer
Died at Age	70

John Dann MacDonald

American

Jul 24, 1916

Biography

Personal Details

Sharon, Pennysylvania