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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 American 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 ...
Last updated: Friday, June 30, 2023. Thomas H. MacDonald, who headed the FHWA's predecessor agencies from 1919 to 1953, and his top assistant, Herbert Fairbank, were recognized as highway authorities internationally.
Thomas H. MacDonald, who headed the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) from 1919 to 1953, is a towering figure in the history of highways. He helped to revitalize the Federal-aid highway program by initiating a system focus, with emphasis on roads that were “interstate in character,” in the Federal Highway Act of 1921.
Home. Highway History. History of FHWA. Firing Thomas H. MacDonald-Twice. by. Richard F. Weingroff. The Firing: #1. Official portrait of Thomas H. MacDonald. In 1910, while serving as Iowa's State Highway Engineer, Thomas H. MacDonald became annoyed with the U.S. Office of Public Roads.
Elected: 1965. As Chief and later Commissioner of the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads, Thomas H. MacDonald became Administrator of Federal Highway Funds shortly after the beginning of Federal participation in highway affairs on a national scale. As such, he greatly influenced the formulation of national highway policies and gave skilled direction ...
Thomas H. MacDonald was born in 1881 and was a pioneer in the use of traffic needs as a basis for system planning and road classification. He also excelled in applying scientific methods to traffic movement and safety studies.
Thomas H. MacDonald, Chief Engineer of the Iowa Highway Commission was the selection to replace him. The President of AASHO, A.R. Hirst, in his outgoing speech in December of 1919, deplored the fact that the Federal Government could pay MacDonald only $4000 per year. MacDonald turned the job down.
