William Madison McDonald | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of the Texas Republican Party | |
| In office 1897–1898 | |
| Preceded by | Norris Wright Cuney |
| Succeeded by | Henry Clay Ferguson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 22, 1866 College Mound, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | July 5, 1950 (aged 84) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Alice Gibson |
| Children | 1 |
| Occupation | Politician, businessman |
William Madison McDonald (June 22, 1866 – July 5, 1950), nicknamed "Gooseneck Bill", was an American politician, businessman, and banker of great influence in Texas during the late nineteenth century. Part of the Black and Tan faction, by 1892 he was elected to the Republican Party of Texas's state executive committee, as temporary chairman in 1896, and as permanent state chairman in 1898.
During this period, McDonald was also elected as top leader of two black fraternal organizations, serving as Grand Secretary of the state's black Masons for 50 years. In 1906 he founded Fort Worth's first African-American-owned bank as an enterprise of the state Masons; under his management, the bank survived the Great Depression.[1] The black chapters of Masons banked with him, McDonald made loans to black businessmen, and he became probably the first black millionaire in Texas.[2]