Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership | Illinois

Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King and Cirilo McSween
The first African American entrepreneur, McDonald’s franchisor
B.S., Business

Photo Credit: College of Business

A Man of Firsts
(Adpated from the College of Business http://business.illinois.edu/publications/ANN/2008-12.pdf)

The photographs on the walls in Cirilo McSween’s office tell the story. Pictured with the likes of Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson, Reverend Ralph Abernathy, Harry Belafonte, Nelson Mandela, Herb McKinley and Dr. Albert Sampson, one can see that Cirilo McSween has been friends and partners with some of the most distinguished and notable people of our time. His accomplishments are legion and his rise from poverty to the heights of the business world makes for the stuff of which legends are made.

Born to a family of five, McSween recalls his family’s home was no bigger than a small conference room in his current downtown Chicago office. “I didn’t own any shoes until I received a pair of athletic shoes for Christmas from my dad when I was about ten,” McSween said.

It could be said that the gift of running shoes was the harbinger of a career that would take McSween first to the Panama National Olympic Track and Field Team, on to an athletic scholarship at the University of Illinois, followed by record-shattering accomplishments for New York Life Insurance and later a partnership with McDonald’s. Through it all, McSween says he was inspired by others to succeed and is quick to credit his mentors.

“At the time, the track coach was Leo Johnson, a national and international figure. He was my hero. He taught us teamwork and confidence. He inspired us to be the best through physical training and developing a positive attitude. I believe that is the essence of being prepared for anything in life.”

At the University McSween came under the tutelage of Robert Mehr, a professor known not only for his knowledge of economics, but also for his expertise and specialization in insurance. It was Mehr who gave a pragmatic lift to McSween’s future and suggested he apply to New York Life Insurance Company in New York. Mehr was so awed by McSween’s drive and promise that he authored a textbook on insurance and dedicated the fourth edition to him.

“At that time, large insurance companies did not hire African Americans,” McSween recalls. Within a year at New York Life, McSween had shattered every record in the life insurance industry for African Americans. He was the first to sell $1 million a year in life insurance policies. He later sold polices worth $1
million a month and surpassed that by selling $2 million a month. McSween’s triumphs earned him a lifetime membership in “The Million Dollar Roundtable,” making him the first African American to join this prestigious insurance society. New York Life eventually transferred McSween back to Chicago where he stayed with the company for twenty years.

Remembering his roots and displaying a special courage and compassion for the poor and downtrodden, McSween, in the 1960s, put his enterprises on hold and ventured to the South where he marched, protested and linked arms with Dr. King during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. McSween’s loyalty and business acumen earned King’s trust and respect. He became a member of the board and Executive Committee of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) while King was president. When Dr. King was assassinated, McSween was a pallbearer. Today, he continues to play an active role in the civil rights arena.

McSween is a board member and vice chairman of Operation PUSH where he works as a personal confidant to Rev. Jesse Jackson. Currently, he serves on the boards of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change and as vice chairman and treasurer of the SCLC Foundation.

Also in the 1960s, McSween left the insurance industry and became a McDonald’s franchisor, where he has been a vanguard in the corporation. When he opened his first franchise, McSween became the first African American entrepreneur to open a business at the still developing State Street Mall in Chicago. He distinguished himself with marketing expertise and his accomplishments earned him the Ronald McDonald Award for Exemplary Contribution in 1981. In 1994, he received The Golden Arch Award, the highest award presented to an owner/operator by the corporation.

Cirilo McSween continues to leave his imprint on the business community. He was one of the organizers of Independence Bank, which became the largest African American financial institution. He was inducted into Chicago State University’s Business Hall of Fame and his business accomplishments earned him a host of
accolades. A high point in his life was when Chicago’s DuSable Museum of African History mounted an exhibit entitled, “McSween Meets King: A Civil Rights Story.” The exhibition was a visual diary of McSween’s struggles for equality in 20th century America.

McSween’s greatest passion revolves around his native Panama. He was the national coordinator for the ratification of the Panama Canal Treaty and worked with President Jimmy Carter, Omar Torrijos, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Ambassador Andrew Young in this successful effort. He served as the Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Alternative Representative of the Republic of Panama to the United Nations. He is also a confidant of the current president Martin Torrijos who appointed him an Ambassador with Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Powers of Special Mission of the Republic of Panama.

McSween’s career and meteoric rise to prominence as an African American in the business community have made him a much sought after lecturer. “I speak from my personal experiences,” McSween says. “You never know when your accomplishments can serve as inspiration to others.”

To view additional photos, visit www.illinois.edu/goto/mcsween