John McGillicuddy

Who was John McGillicuddy?

John Francis McGillicuddy was an American banking industry executive who oversaw the merger between Manufacturers Hanover Trust and Chemical Bank in the early 1990s.

McGillicuddy played football for Harrison High School and then attended Princeton University on a football scholarship, playing defensive back on the college's undefeated football teams in 1950 and 1951. His roommate at Princeton was fellow football player Dick Kazmaier, who won the Heisman Trophy for 1951. John McGillicuddy later attended Harvard Law School and was hired by the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett after serving in the United States Navy.

He was hired by Manufacturers Trust Company in 1958. He was elected to serve as the bank's president in 1971 at age 40, making him one of the youngest people to run a major banking company, after his predecessor R. E. McNeil, Jr. announced that he would be stepping down.

During New York City's fiscal crisis during the 1970s, McGillicuddy helped organize the financial aid needed to bail out the city. He later played a key role in the late 1970s in the Bailout of Chrysler, working to organize the government loan guarantees that helped that company avoid bankruptcy.