John Robert Harrison McDonald [also known as John R. H. McDonald] was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 22 May 1907 and was the son of John McDonald (1874-1964), a highly successful Glaswegian building contractor, whose company, John McDonald (Contractors) Ltd. built some 10,000 houses in the Glasgow Area.
After studying at university, John R. H. McDonald joined his father's business. Although he did not train as an architect, he, nevertheless, designed a number of houses. "Kilmardinny", a house designed for himself at Bearsden in Dumbartonshire, is discussed in Modern Small Country Houses, edited by Roger Smithells (London Country Life, 1936 pp. 2-5. He is acknowledged as an architect in the book.
During the 1920s and 1930s, John R. H. McDonald made study trips to the USA and Germany and in 1932 married Dorcas Anne Hutcheson (1908-2001) in Chattanooga, Tennessee before returning to Glasgow.
He was a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and was the author of Modern housing : a review of present housing requirements in Gt. Britain, a resume of post-war housing at home and abroad, and some practical suggestions for future housing. (Glasgow : Carson & Nichol; 1931).
Following World War Two, John R. H. McDonald returned to the USA, where he lived for the rest of his life. In 1970 he retired to Chattanooga, Tennessee where he died on 7 February 1996.
"Kilmardinny", Bearsden, Dumbartonshire, Scotland (c.1934)