- Great American Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century
William G. McGowan
MCI Communications
1968 - 1985
Communications
b. 1927
| Education |  |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate | King's College |
| Graduate | MBA, Harvard University |
| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Born-Died | 1927 - 1992 |
| Birthplace | Pennsylvania (PA) |
| Race | White |
| Father | Laborer, Skilled |
McGowan built a $4 billion telecommunication business that defeated the AT&T monopoly. Acting as a self-employed consultant, McGowan rescued MCI by paying off its debts and created a lean competitor to AT&T by under-pricing the monopolist. By the end of his tenure, MCI had an estimated 15% of the U.S. long-distance market.