Margaret Donahue

Margaret Donahue (December 13, 1892 – January 30, 1978) was an American professional baseball executive who worked in the front office of the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1919 to 1958. Donahue was the first female executive in MLB history and pioneered the sale of season tickets and other innovations.

Early life Donahue was born and raised on a farm in Huntley, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 1892. She attended Huntley High School in 1909. After one year of high school, she dropped out and moved to Chicago to work as a secretary. In 1926, Veeck promoted Donahue to secretary, making her the first female executive in MLB.

Personal life While she worked for the Cubs, Donahue lived in Rogers Park, Chicago with her brother and two sisters.

A park on the North Side of Chicago on West School Street, a few blocks from Wrigley Field, is named for Donahue. The Cubs contributed $1 million of the $1.3 million cost for Margaret Donahue Park, which broke ground in 2014. Donahue was inducted into the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame in 2021.