McGowan, William G.

McGowan, William G. (George)

(1927–92) telecommunications executive; born in Ashley, Pa. A Harvard-trained management consultant and venture capitalist, he took over Microwave Communications, Inc. (MCI) (1968), and as chairman and CEO he led the firm's successful challenge of the telephone monopoly, American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T). He won the largest antitrust settlement in history against AT&T in 1980 and built MCI into a $8-billion company. He retired as CEO in 1991.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.