Kemeys, Edward, 1843-1907

Edward Kemeys was a sculptor, known primarily for his animal sculpture. He attempted to document the vanishing wildlife species of North American in his work. Among his pieces are the lions at the entrance of the Art Institute of Chicago. The Stanley McCormick referred to her is possibly the youngest son of Cyrus Hall McCormick (1809-1884). Stanley McCormick was born in 1874 or 1875, was comptroller of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company and in 1902 he helped bring about the merger that formed International Harvester, with the result of making him and his family very wealthy. In 1904, he married Katherine Dexter (1876-1967), an alumna of MIT, philanthropist, and activist. Around 1906, he was afflicted with mental illness which incapacitated him until he died in 1947.

Sculptor.

Born in Savannah, Georgia. Kemeys studied in New York, beginning in 1871. During the 1870s Kemeys traveled through the West, specializing in the depiction of wild animals of the American continent. He went abroad between 1877 and 1879, where his "Bison and Wolves" was exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1878. Kemeys died in Washington, D.C. His wife, Laura Kemeys, also a sculptor, was born in Cumberland County, New Jersey. She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago with Kemeys and Lorado Taft.