NameDon Draper
CompanyMcCann Erickson
CategoryThe Merlin Award
Executive SummaryDonald Francis "Don" Draper is a founding partner and the Creative Director at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Advertising Agency in Manhattan, NY ("Shut the Door. Have a Seat"). Prior to that position, he was the Director of the Creative Department at the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency ("Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"). He is regarded among his colleagues as the best to ever pitch copy. His true name is Richard "Dick" Whitman. He stole the identity of a dead officer during the Korean War.
Born June 1st, 1926, Richard "Dick" Whitman was the illegitimate child of a prostitute who died during childbirth. Dick lived with his father, Archie Whitman, and his father's wife, Abigail Whitman, until he was 10, at which time his father, a drunk, was kicked in the face by a horse and died. His stepmother, pregnant at the time, then "took up" with a new man, "Uncle Mack," and had another son, Dick's half-brother, whom she named Adam Whitman. Dick's childhood was unhappy, and his stepmother never allowed him to forget that he was a "whore's child" ("The Hobo Code").
DescriptionDon Draper has an intuitive understanding of the consumer's mind, making him a brilliant ad man and the award-winning star of Sterling Cooper, attracting and retaining major clients, commanding respect from those above and below him, being courted by rival firms, and generally living the picture-perfect life of a successful businessman in the early 1960s. However, Don rarely seems happy with his "perfect" life: he is often stressed, drinks and smokes constantly, and is prone to spells of moodiness.
Draper's tenuous and complex feelings toward his children are revealed when Pete Campbell threatens to expose his past, Don, at least momentarily, considered fleeing to Los Angeles and abandoning his wife and children. Bertram Cooper makes him a partner after Roger Sterling's most recent heart attack.
While he appears to love his wife, Betty, he is constantly sleeping with other women. He had a brief affair with client Rachel Menken and was previously involved with beatnik Midge Daniels. He has left work in the middle of the day to see French New Wave films, and reads poetry by the likes of Frank O'Hara. Don has an affair with Bobbie Barrett, the wife of actor/comedian Jimmy Barrett. Betty, Don's wife, kicks him out of their house because of his refusal to admit to his affairs.
After Betty kicks him out, he stays in a hotel and then visits Los Angeles for three weeks. He returns home at Betty's behest during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1963, Betty gives birth to Eugene Draper; she names him after her father, Eugene Hofstadt, who passed away during her pregnancy. Don begins another affair with Suzanne Farrell, Sally's teacher, while Betty has an unconsummated affair with Henry Francis. Later, Betty discovers Don's true identity and confronts him; Don breaks down and reveals his past. Several weeks later, this discovery of Don's identity becomes a contributing factor in Betty requesting a divorce; other factors include his affairs, Henry Francis' proclamation of love, and the assassinations of John Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald
When rumors of the purchase of the parent company of Sterling Cooper reached Don Draper, he pushes the senior partners to attempt a purchase of the company. Because he was forced to sign a contract to gain the business of Conrad Hilton, he is an employee of the company regardless of who owns it. After presenting an offer, they realize it is a lost cause, until they hit upon an idea. Lane Pryce, the representative from PPL with authority over everyone at Sterling Cooper, agrees to fire the senior partners, thereby severing their contracts (including the no-compete clauses in their contracts).
They secretly round up a list of clients loyal to them and steal important documentation that will smooth the transition. And they quietly select the first employees: Pete Campbell, Peggy Olson, Joan Holloway, and Harry Crane ("Shut the Door. Have a Seat").
After the new company is formed, an interview with Don by Jack Hammond from "Advertising Age" leads to bad publicity for the agency, which leads to a narrow client base and the Jai Alai account to be lost due to the fact that Don did not mention the client in the interview. The loss affects the agency financially as a result of the few clients it has. Peggy hires two actresses to keep an account at the agency as part of a publicity stunt, however it backfires after one of the actresses sues the other one for assault. Don gives Peggy bail and hush money, expressing disparagement of the idea, although Peggy informs him that it worked to the effect that the account has stayed with the agency.