'A very fortunate person': Former Mellon Bank CEO Martin McGuinn pens autobiography
When Martin G. McGuinn Jr. retired from a long career as a banking executive 15 years ago, he had no plans to write an autobiography.
But the stories of his childhood were too compelling not to share, his children and grandchildren told him.
After more than a year of writing and editing, McGuinn, a seasonal Palm Beach resident, published his first book, "From Swampoodle to Mellon Bank CEO" this past summer.
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The book, available in stores and online, tells the story of McGuinn's rise from modest beginnings in Princeton, New Jersey, to becoming CEO of Mellon Bank, one of America’s leading financial institutions.
"It's about me, my family and my heritage," McGuinn said of his book, which takes its title from “Swampoodle,” a Philadelphia neighborhood where many Irish immigrants — including McGuinn's grandparents — settled in the early 20th century.
"It focuses on my college and law school experience and my experience in the Marine Corps, including in Vietnam," he continued. "Then I went to a Wall Street law firm, and then to Mellon Bank, where I was for 25 years, starting as general counsel and then as chief executive officer. In the end, it's a story that I hope is not over yet."
McGuinn, 80, who earned bachelor's and law degrees from Villanova University, also served for 13 months in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969.
"If we're going to fight a war, we need to fight it to win," he said of Vietnam. "That war was a very difficult one, because it wasn't like the trench warfare of World War I or World War II. It was all about fighting insurgents, and not even knowing who the enemy was."
McGuinn joined Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh after practicing law on Wall Street.
McGuinn raised his family — two sons and a stepdaughter — in Pennsylvania, and began traveling to Palm Beach 20 years ago. He and his wife, Susan, also have five grandchildren.
The couple has lived on the island part time for the past six years, and recently sold their condominium for a home in the North End.
"We're thrilled to be in Palm Beach," said McGuinn, who is active in The Society of the Four Arts and also supports a number of charities in the area. "It's got the restaurants and the culture, and the performing arts center. We enjoy it here, and we want to spend more time there."
McGuinn splits his time between Palm Beach, Long Island and Pennsylvania, where he still has family.
His family convinced him to write a book after years of listening to McGuinn share stories of his childhood, he said.
That process took about 18 months, and included a title change he said.
"When I was going to publish it, I thought the title would be 'A Very Fortunate Person,' he said. "That's how I feel. And the publisher told me no, that it was too common. Swampoodle is an area of Philadelphia where my grandparents immigrated to from Ireland, and a lot of Irish kids as well. The story really begins with my grandparents."
McGuinn's book was released June 15, and he said he's enjoying the feedback he's receiving.
He has no plans, however, to write a second book.
"Given my age and experience, I think maybe there is just one book," he said. "I enjoyed writing it. It took a year and a half, and it was an interesting way to travel down memory lane. You try to remember things. It brought them back to mind. Not all were good necessarily, but on balance, the reason why I said I feel I'm a very fortunate person is there's a lot more good than not-so-good."
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Former Mellon Bank CEO Martin McGuinn pens autobiography
