Donald Acklin was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1886, the second son of Grafton Acklin. Like his older and younger brothers, Donald attended public schools in the Toledo area before heading to Cornell University. Upon his return to Toledo he, along with his brothers and father founded the Acklin Stamping Company. When Grafton Acklin died in 1926, James assumed the presidency and Donald moved into the Vice-presidency. Donald didn't take a very active role in the company's leadership however, preferring to spend time on social and athletic pursuits.
Donald married Imogene McClees of Columbus, Ohio in the early 1910s and they had three daughters, Jessie (born 1914), Katherine (born 1917), and Margery (born 1916) and a son, Donald, Jr., Margery's twin.
Donald was an avid horseman, owning his own stables and participating in Polo matches around the country. He was a member of the Carranor Hunt and Polo Club, and the Ottawa Hills Riding Club and often judged horse matches at competitive events. Outside of his horsemanship activities and management of Acklin, Donald also served on the state board of agriculture for many years.
Donald was also passionate about cars, a passion that would lead to his unfortunate death. On January 4th of 1931 while doing some repair work on his automobile he was killed by carbon monoxide fumes. Donald's body was discovered near midnight by his wife who was used to him working late on his vehicle. His untimely death, at the age of 44 was quite a shock to the Acklin family. William, Donald's younger brother, assumed the company's vice-presidency.
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