William H. Danforth’s Life in Silhouette

William Danforth’s early calling to the healing profession influenced his notable years as an academic leader. Being a physician helped him to deeply understand his fellow human beings. He took to his vice chancellorship in the School of Medicine and then to Brookings Hall the imperative to do good, relieve suffering, and make the world better.

Born: April 10, 1926, in St. Louis, Missouri, son of Donald Danforth and grandson of the first William H. Danforth, founder of Ralston-Purina and of the Danforth Foundation

Education (selected list): B.A., Princeton University, 1947; M.D., Harvard Medical School, 1951; Intern in Medicine, Barnes Hospital, 1951–52; Resident in Medicine, Barnes Hospital, 1956–57; Postdoctoral Fellow in Biochemistry, 1961–63

Military Service: U.S. Navy, 1944–45; Physician, U.S. Navy, 1952–54

Washington University positions: Fellow in Cardiology, 1957–58; Instructor in Medicine, 1951–52, 1954–58; Assistant, then Associate Professor of Medicine, 1958–67; Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs, 1965–71; Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine, 1967–present; Chancellor, 1971–95; Chairman, Board of Trustees, 1995–99; Trustee Vice Chairman, 1999-2004

Personal notes: Met Elizabeth Anne Gray, of St. Louis, during his college years; married, 1950; four children: Cynthia Prather, of Anniston, Alabama; David Danforth, of Clayton, Missouri; Maebelle Reed, of Tucson, Arizona; and Elizabeth Sankey, of Ladue, Missouri.

Selected Washington University accomplishments as Chancellor: 70 new faculty chairs, for a total of 110; a $1.72 billion endowment, seventh largest in the nation; dozens of new buildings; triple the previous number of gift-supported scholarships; nearly 60,000 students graduated during his chancellorship; significant increase in retention of undergraduate students; groundwork laid for future success.

 

Donald Danforth, Jr.: Builder in the Community

St. Louis native Donald Danforth, Jr. attended Princeton University for two years and completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Washington University in 1955. In 1967 he joined the Ralston Purina Company, which his grandfather, the first William H. Danforth, founded and which his father, the late Donald Danforth, Sr. headed. In 1972, he left Ralston Purina, where he had been an executive vice president and headed the agricultural products group; he remained a board member and major shareholder there for the rest of his life.

Danforth was founding president of Danforth Agri-Resources and a trustee of the Danforth Foundation. He served on the boards of numerous civic organizations, including the American Youth Foundation, which his grandfather had founded, and the Brain Injury Association of Missouri.

He died in 2001 of Lou Gehrig’s disease at the age of 69. The Donald Danforth, Jr., Distinguished Professorship in Business was established in 2006 to honor him and to recognize gifts made by the Danforth Foundation during the Campaign for Washington University.

 

John C. Danforth: Builder of the Social Order

Danforth Foundation chair John C. Danforth is a partner with Bryan Cave LLP. He graduated with honors from Princeton University in 1958 and from Yale Divinity School and Yale Law School in 1963.

In 1968 he was elected attorney general of Missouri in his first race for public office. He was re-elected in 1972. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976, and re-elected in 1982 and 1988. During 18 years as senator, he served on the Committee on Finance; the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and the Select Committee on Intelligence. His major legislative initiatives involved international trade, telecommunications, health care, research and development, transportation, and civil rights. In September 1999, then-U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno appointed him special counsel to investigate the federal raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas.

Danforth was appointed the President’s special envoy to Sudan in 2001 and in 2004 was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He chaired St. Louis 2004, a 12-county, citizen-based effort to revitalize the region through improvements in economic growth, capital projects, and health care.

 

Honoring Ibby

"Ibby Danforth was one of the great citizens of Washington University and of St. Louis," Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton has said. The late First Lady of the University actively supported her husband in his long career — engaging everyone with her warmth, intelligence, and compassion. Students greeted Ibby in the classes, lectures, performances, and athletic events she attended. Alumni and the St. Louis and corporate communities knew her through her hosting and participating in hundreds of receptions and events around the world, and through her voluntarism. Elizabeth’s name is linked to endeavors that reflect her exceptional spirit and commitment:

  • William H. and Elizabeth Gray Danforth Scholars Program, which honors students in all areas of the University who have outstanding character and are committed to service.
  • Elizabeth Gray Danforth Scholarship, for a transfer student from the St. Louis Community College District, from the Women’s Society of Washington University.
  • Raymond E. Maritz Professorship in Architecture, from William E. and Jackie Maritz, in Ibby Danforth’s honor.
  • Roy and Diana Vagelos Professorship in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, from Dr. P. Roy and Mrs. Diana Vagelos in honor of Dr. and Mrs. William H. Danforth
  • The Elizabeth Gray Danforth Butterfly Garden — known as Ibby’s Garden — created by the Woman’s Club of Washington University
  • Elizabeth Gray Danforth House, freshman residence hall
  • The Washington University Sports Hall of Fame — named to the listing with William H. Danforth

 

Dorothy Danforth Miller

Dorothy Miller is a mother and active St. Louis citizen. (Pictured here with husband Jeff Miller.)