Thomas Harris MacDonald

Thomas Harris MacDonald
Thomas Harris MacDonald
Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration
In office 1919–1953
Preceded by	Logan Waller Page
Succeeded by	Francis Victor DuPont
Personal details
Born	July 23, 1881 Leadville, Colorado
Died	April 7, 1957 College Station, Texas, U.S.
Nationality	American
Residence	U.S.
Alma mater	Iowa State University

Thomas Harris "Chief" MacDonald (July 23, 1881 – April 7, 1957) was an American civil engineer and politician with tremendous influence in building the country's interstate highway system. He served as chief of the Iowa State Highway Commission, chief of the Bureau of Public Roads from 1919 to 1939, and commissioner of the Bureau of Public Roads from 1939 until 1953.

He directed national road policy for 34 years, serving under seven different US Presidents. During his time, he supervised the creation of 3.5 million miles of highways. Later, he personally directed the creation of the Alaskan Highway, and helped the countries of Central America in building the Inter-American Highway. "[He] was a force as powerful as his counterpart at the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover," insists historian Stephen B. Goddard, "yet was virtually unknown to most Americans."

Born a Scotsman in a Leadville, Colorado log-cabin to John MacDonald and Sarah Elizabeth Harris, his family returned to Poweshiek County, Iowa when he was young. (He attended elementary and high school at public schools in Montezuma, Iowa, the county seat.) His father was a partner in T. Harris & Company, a grain and lumber dealer founded by his maternal grandfather, and Thomas grew up frustrated with the poor state of local roads. Lumber traveled in wooden wagons which were unusable in the spring and fall mud. Most people of the era saw railroads as the solution, but MacDonald went to Iowa State College of Agricultural and Mechanical Arts at Ames (transferring after a year at Iowa State Teachers College) to learn road building as a student of Anson Marston. He received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1904. (His senior thesis, written with L. T. Gaylord, was titled "Iowa Good Roads Investigations.") In 1907, he married Elizabeth Dunham of Ames, Iowa and they had two children before her death in 1935.