Kroc Gives Democrats $1 Million : Widow of McDonald’s Founder Breaks Donation Record

WASHINGTON —  Joan B. Kroc, widow of the McDonald’s fast-food magnate, announced today that she has given the Democratic Party $1 million, the biggest single contribution in party history.

Kroc, a registered independent and an advocate of nuclear disarmament, said the contribution was motivated by concern about the direction the nation has taken during the Reagan Administration.

She said she is looking to the Democrats “for the positive, principled leadership we must have to restore America to its proper place as the foremost champion of peace and justice in the world.”

“For the last six years,” she said, “I have grown increasingly concerned that we may be losing sight of our goals as a nation. In the name of ‘national security,’ we have accelerated the buildup of weapons. We have diverted our bountiful resources from improving our lives and our environment to an unwarranted and excessive increase of our military weapons.”

Cites Use of Force

She said she was also concerned “over the use of military force as the first priority in carrying out U.S. policy abroad.”

In an interview from California, Kroc said “the gift speaks for itself” as a reflection of her feelings about the national political scene.

She said she has also given the maximum $1,000 to each of the Democratic presidential contenders who has a campaign committee in place.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Paul Kirk praised Kroc as a “thoughtful, concerned American” and said her contribution “is a tremendous vote of confidence in our Democratic presidential candidates . . . and in the party-building efforts being conducted at the Democratic National Committee to prepare for a successful November, 1988.”

Sets a Record

“This is the largest contribution in the 139-year history of the Democratic National Committee,” said committee spokesman Terry Michael.

He said it came about when Kirk telephoned Kroc, who lives in La Jolla, to seek her support for the party.

“I said to Paul, ‘Well, of course, I’d like to help.’ I said, ‘Put me down for a million dollars,’ ” she said.

“I hope we can get some other well-heeled Democrats” to help out as well, she said, adding that she intends to try to influence her associates to give to the party.

Kroc inherited the McDonald’s fortune from her husband, Ray Kroc, founder of the fast-food empire, who died in 1984. He was a major contributor to Republicans, notably former President Richard M. Nixon.