Commems Collection Classic: What If? Phantom 1962 General Douglas Macarthur

It's been some time since I last posted a "What If? Phantom" story, so a quick refresher on the objectives of this series of posts might be needed: What If? Phantom Posts - An Introduction.


In 1962, Norfolk, Virginia Mayor - William Fred Duckworth - sought the striking of a commemorative coin in honor of General Douglas MacArthur. (Had he succeeded, there was the chance the coin would have been issued while MacArthur was still alive - MacArthur died on April 5, 1964.)

The proposed coin was to be for the benefit of the proposed MacArthur Foundation, with net proceeds being used to fund a college scholarship program and acquire items connected to the life and legacy of General MacArthur for display at the MacArthur Memorial (Norfolk, VA).

Note: MacArthur deeded the City of Norfolk a gift of his personal papers and personal memorabilia in 1961. The General Douglas MacArthur Foundation was created in 1962 to establish the MacArthur Memorial and care for and preserve MacArthur's gifted collection. At the time Mayor Duckworth proposed the MacArthur commemorative coin, the MacArthur Foundation had not yet been formally established - but it soon would be.

In June 1962, Mayor Duckworth, along with United States Senator Harry F. Byrd (D-VA) and ÚS Representative Porter Hardy, Jr. (D-VA) met with Frederick W. Tate, the Assistant Director of the US Mint, at the Treasury Department in Washington, DC. Tate could not be convinced, however, of the merits of the coin, explaining, instead, the Treasury's opposition to commemorative coins in general. Duckworth and Tate then met with Henry H. Fowler, the Under Secretary of the Treasury. (Fowler later became Secretary of the Treasury under Lyndon Baines Johnson, serving from April 1, 1965 to December 20, 1968.)

After listening to the MacArthur coin proposal, Fowler told Duckworth and Tate that he would consider it and let them know of his decision. He later informed them, via letter, that the Treasury could not support the MacArthur coin proposal. Fowler referenced the 1947 Philippines MacArthur commemorative coin that had been struck by the US Mint, and indicated that it "might not be proper" for the US to issue another. (Personally, I think it was a rather flimsy excuse. I don't see the two issues as conflicting - the US and Philippines were each an independent nation at the time its MacArthur coin was/would be issued!)

1947 General Douglas MacArthur Philippines Commemorative Coins



(For a discussion of these coins, see: 1947 Philippines Macarthur Commemorative Coins - Origin Story

Fowler did suggest a commemorative medal for the Foundation vs. a coin, and believed such would find favor in Congress - he was correct! Senators Byrd and Absalom Willis Robertson (D-VA) co-introduced a Senate Joint Resolution in September 1962 and it was quickly passed in the Senate and House of Representatives; it was signed into Public Law by US President John F. Kennedy on October 9, 1962.

Douglas MacArthur Congressional Medal - Bronze


In the end, however, no MacArthur coin proposal was introduced in Congress in 1962, thus remaining a "Phantom of the Congress.".


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more about Phantom coin proposals, see: Commems Collection

For a MacArthur-related What If? story, see:

- What If? 1965 General Macarthur Quarter