John Drake Fitzgerald (1902-1969) was the chief of the Radio Division at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) in the early 1940s. While at NAM, Fitzgerald oversaw the “Defense for America” radio series that aired on NBC Red Network and “Your Defense Reporter” series which aired on Mutual Network.

Fitzgerald was born May 10, 1902 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to William Norman Fitzgerald (1862-1934) and Helen Drake Fitzgerald (1869-1944). He earned his bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Wisconsin in 1924. In 1938, Fitzgerald married Ruth E. Riegel (1913-1989); the couple had two children. Fitzgerald died February 27, 1969 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Fitzgerald made a career as a public relations executive. After graduation, he worked in sales promotion for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in Milwaukee. From 1935 to 1940, he worked at CBS as a director of sports and special events, first in Chicago and then New York City. While with CBS Broadcasting, he covered the America’s Cup races and collaborated on other broadcasts with the likes of Edward R. Murrow, William Shirer, Jim Backus, Elmer Davis, Bob Trout, H.V. Kaltenborn, and Fulton Lewis Jr., among others. Fitzgerald then worked at NAM for the bulk of World War II in the Radio Division, producing programs that highlighted industries and factories related to national defense. In 1944, he was hired by Compton Advertising in New York. After a brief return to CBS, he went to work for Alley and Richards (later Humphrey, Alley, and Richards) in 1949, and by 1952 was the director of radio-TV for the company in Boston. In 1954, Fitzgerald became the public relations director for Willis S. Martin Company in Fort Wayne, Indiana.