David McTaggart was a leader who led Greenpeace from fragmented groups of individuals scattered around the globe into an international organization of immense power, influence and accomplishment. When he became actively engaged within the organization, it was in the midst of a civil war. He settled the fighting and shaped the organization. David gave 11 years to making Greenpeace an effective counterbalance to the companies and governments that to percieved to be destroying bits and pieces of the world.

David was born in 1932 in Vancouver, Canada. He became the national badminton champion three years in a row while he was still in high school and this developed his competitive edge, determination and will to succeed. He left high school without finishing and never pursued any further formal education. David started in the construction industry, first succeeding in Canada and then moving to California. In 1969, a gas leak destroyed his company, injured an employee, and it cost him most of his million-dollar fortune. Although his business career ended in disaster, David learned how to run a business effectively, a skill that benefited Greenpeace. It was almost 40 years ago, aboard his 38-foot double-ended ketch named Vega, that McTaggart began his journey into history. In 1972, he set a course for Mururoa in the South Pacific to stop the atmospheric nuclear testing occurring there. McTaggart quite literally sailed up against the French war machine, daring them to blow him out of the water. But heavy weather pushed the Vega 30 miles from ground zero, allowing the French to successfully explode nuclear bombs into the atmosphere.

In the summer of 1973, when France announced its intentions to continue testing nuclear weapons into the atmosphere over Mururoa, McTaggart set sail again. This time, McTaggart successfully maintained position inside international waters, causing the French to delay their testing. Thwarted, the French sent seven commandos to ram the Vega and rough up the crew. McTaggart almost lost his right eye in the scuffle; his navigator was knocked out cold. Fortunately for McTaggart, the whole incident was captured on still camera. In 1975, the Palais de Justice in Paris found the French Navy guilty of ramming the Vega and were instructed to pay damages. More importantly, that was the last nuclear test made into the atmosphere.

Whether he was taking on the International Whaling Commission, the French government, or protecting the world's oceans, McTaggart is single-minded in his approach. For more than three decades, this restless and driven man has taken on the world's rich and powerful. In the process he has not only created a long list of friends but an equally impressive list of enemies. The French prosecutor noted, “It is very possible that McTaggart’s attitude, reinforced by the reactions of certain countries and certain groups, caused the government of France to think again.”

At Mururoa David learned many valuable lessons he would apply in later years –how to confront a government power, use the world press, stand up for one’s beliefs, and the value of action and determination. After his victory in Mururoa, David moved to Europe where he began to develop Greenpeace in the UK, France and the Netherlands. These three countries would eventually become Greenpeace Europe, which would metamorphosis into Greenpeace International. McTaggart served as both Executive Director and Chairman of the Board for Greenpeace International from 1980 to 1991, when he retired for reasons of health. But in some ways as the organization institutionalized itself David increasingly felt constrained. He valued action over planning (which increasingly caused tension between him and the organization). He obviously believed in taking risks and provided the support and protection that allowed hundreds of Greenpeacers to face jail, beatings, fire hoses, police, and law suits in acting on their beliefs. David was also a friend of multi-millionaires, heads of state, rock stars and CEOs but he simply used them to get access or bring pressure or find resources that would help Greenpeace win the day. He never traded on his friendships or made them public. However, David’s always working behind the scenes eventually pushed him out of Greenpeace as people got tired of the secrecy and perceived manipulation. Most often it was how David made a decision rather than the decision itself that got him into trouble. His last years were spent living in Italy and working on special issues.

He realized that mining in Antarctica would be a disaster just as the Antarctic treaty nations were about to sign a mining agreement. In two short years, David and Greenpeace not only stopped the agreement, but also persuaded the Treaty nations to sign an Environmental Protocol banning mining for 50 years.
David died in 2001 in a car accident near his home in Umbria, Italy. He thought of himself as a citizen of the world. He preferred to work from the shadows, manipulating events and people without having to step right into the light. He counted among his friends several powerful politicians, a couple of multi-billionaires (including Ted Turner) and at least one rock star (Bryan Adams). For 20 years he haunted the International Whaling Commission (IWC).