Biographical Sketch of R. L. McDonald, St. Joseph, Buchanan County, MO

>From "History of Buchanan County, Missouri, Published 1881, St. Joseph
Steam Printing Company, Printers, Binders, Etc., St. Joseph, Missouri.
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R. L. McDonald was born near Harrisburg, Kentucky, May 19, 1832.  His
father was a farmer of that neighborhood, and here the subject of our
sketch resided till he was nineteen years of age, when he left his
home for the West, and settled in St. Joseph, Missouri, where he en-
gaged as a clerk in the store of Donnell & Saxton.  In 1853, he was
received as a partner in the business.  A short time previous to the
breaking out of the civil war, he purchased the interest of his part-
ners, and became sole proprietor of the concern, a general retail
dry goods house, then located on the corner of Fourth and Felix 
Streets.  In 1865, he associated with himself C. H. Buckman and F. L.
McLain, and under the name and style of R. L. McDonald & Co., engaged
in the wholesale trade.  In 1867, F. L. McLain retired from the part-
nership for the purpose of engaging in the retail business alone.  He
was succeeded by George Henderson.  In 1872, Colonel J. H. Dayton be-
came a member of the firm.  In January, 1877, Dayton and Buckman both
retired from the partnership, and W. A. P. McDonald became a partner.
Since that period, this gentleman and George Henderson, Jr. have com-
posed the Co. of the concern.  In December, 1880, the elegant structure
of the present business house of this firm, a brick faced with cut 
stone, on the northwest corner of Fourth and Francis streets, was com-
pleted and occupied.  This is the largest structure of the kind in the
city, having a frontage of one hundred feet on Fourth Street, running
back one hundred and forty feet on Francis Street, and is four stories
high, with an elegantly lighted basement, opening on the grade of
Francis Street.  The floor space of the entire building includes 70,000
square feet.  The stories are of unusual height, the basement being 
twelve feet, the first floor twenty feet, the second seventeen feet, 
the third sixteen, and the fourth story twelve feet.  This house, the
largest west of St. Louis, distributes its sales over twelve states and
territories, employing constantly about twenty traveling salesmen, be-
sides the sixty of seventy engaged in the house.  R. L. McDonald was
married May 16, 1857, to Miss Mary A. Wilson, daughter of General 
Robert Wilson, formerly United States Senator from Missouri, and niece
of Armstrong Beattie, deceased.  They have had seven children.  Of 
these, John, Maggie, Mattie, Robert, Annie and Marie survive.

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