Tom J. Donohue

Thomas J. Donohue Sr. (born 1938) is the President and CEO of the United States Chamber of Commerce located in Washington, D.C. The Chamber of Commerce supports pro-business causes and is the largest and oldest trade association in the United States. Donohue has been the Chamber's president since 1997.

Career

Born in Brooklyn to a production manager at the American Can Company, Donohue was raised on Long Island and studied at St. John's University, before pursuing an MA in Business at Adelphi University (1965). His grandfather worked for New York City and was a member of the Tammany Hall machine. He worked his way through college as a union truck driver before working as a fundraiser for the Boy Scouts of America and the National Center for Disability Services. Henry Viscardi, the group's founder, says that when he met Donohue, "I sat him down across the desk from me and asked what job he wanted to have down the road. He said, `I want your job.' That's Tom Donohue for you.”