Born in Sharon. Graduated from Syracuse University and Harvard Graduate School of Business, during the Second World War he served in the Center for Strategic Studies - the "precursor" of the CIA.
He began writing in the mid-40s, mainly from under him came science fiction and children's stories. In 1950 he published his first novel, The Coppercake. In the novel “Farewell in the depths” (1964) first appeared Travis McGee – a favorite hero of McDonald, the main character of 24 of his novels.
MacDonald has written and published more than 70 books.