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Donal McLaughlin

1907 – 2009

American architect

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About Donal McLaughlin

Lived 1907 – 2009 (aged 102). Donal McLaughlin was an American architect.

Donal McLaughlin (July 26, 1907 – September 27, 2009) was an American architect who played a major role in the design of the flag of the United Nations.

Early life and education McLaughlin was born on July 26, 1907, in Manhattan and was raised in the Bronx. His choice to pursue architecture mirrored that of his grandfather, James W. McLaughlin, who designed the Cincinnati Art Museum. He earned an architecture diploma from the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design in 1937. and cigarette packages printed with instructions for derailing German trains. His team created the design for the courtroom used in the Nuremberg Trials as well as the visual displays that were used by the prosecution that helped obtain convictions of Nazi war criminals.

McLaughlin celebrated his 100th birthday on July 26, 2007. His father also reached the century mark, and the elder McLaughlin remarked that he had given up smoking cigarettes and drinking in his early thirties and credited his longevity to having "never exerted myself with too much work or ambition."

Death McLaughlin died on September 27, 2009, at the age of 102 in his home in Garrett Park, Maryland due to esophageal cancer. He was survived by two daughters, a son, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He married the former Laura Nevius in 1937, who died in 1998.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Yale University, Yale School of Architecture
Employers
Office of Strategic Services

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Donal McLaughlin's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Donal McLaughlin?

American architect (1907–2009)

When was Donal McLaughlin born?

Donal McLaughlin was born on 26 July 1907.

When did Donal McLaughlin die?

Donal McLaughlin died on 27 September 2009.

What was Donal McLaughlin's occupation?

Donal McLaughlin was an architect.

What nationality was Donal McLaughlin?

Donal McLaughlin was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Donal McLaughlin

· Wikidata: Q1239655

· DBpedia: Donal McLaughlin

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Donal McLaughlin. https://biography.guide/donal-mclaughlin/

MLA: "Donal McLaughlin." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/donal-mclaughlin/.

Chicago: "Donal McLaughlin." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/donal-mclaughlin/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-21 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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