Madigan (1894-1981) was a
Danbury, Connecticut native who worked his way up in the construction industry without formal education and who did not complete high school. Hyland received his training as a civil engineer from
Notre Dame University. The two met in 1927 and formed the firm shortly after, with Madigan providing business experience and New York City connections, complemented by Hyland's professional design expertise. Madigan had met and impressed Robert Moses - then the president of the Long Island Park Commission - the year before while serving as superintendent on a portion of the development of
Jones Beach State Park for another company. During
World War II, he was a special assistant to
Robert Patterson, then the Undersecretary of War, and was awarded the
Medal for Merit as acknowledgement of his efforts. Subsequent to the war, he became the
World Bank's chief engineer from 1947-49 and again from 1951-67 at which point he retired from the industry. Distinguished employees of the firm included
Emil Praeger, a notable engineer and designer in his own right. ==Selected work==