McCormick, Chauncey, 1884-1954.

Hide Profile

Member, United States Food Administration mission to Poland, 1919.

From the description of Chauncey McCormick papers, 1917-1954. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 754868964

Chicago businessman and philanthropist.

Chauncey McCormick was born in 1884 to William G. and Eleanor Brooks McCormick. He was a grandson of William S. McCormick, a founder of the McCormick Reaper company. In 1914 Chauncey McCormick married Marion Deering, whose family owned a rival business which had merged with McCormick Reaper in 1902 to form the International Harvester Company. A close family, Chauncey and Marion raised their three sons C. Deering, Brooks, and Roger between their homes in Chicago and Wheaton, Illinois, and Seal Harbor, Maine. Starting in 1926, McCormick was a director of Harvester International. He was also president of the Miami Corporation investment firm. McCormick attended Groton School and graduated from Yale in 1907. Married in Paris in 1914, he joined the American Expeditionary Force in France during World War I, where he worked to supply medical attention and food to French refugee children. In 1918, he was sent to Poland by Herbert Hoover to organize food relief. He became a life-long advocate of the Polish people, working again for Polish relief during World War II. He received recognition for his wartime service from both the French and Polish governments. McCormick's post-war life was devoted mostly to philanthropic organizations, particularly the Art Institute of Chicago, where he was vice-president from 1932-1944 and president from 1944 until his death. He organized such major projects as the 1933 Century of Progress art exhibit and the1946 Masterpieces of English Painting exhibit. When the Institute faced its first financial emergency, he headed a fundraising campaign that successfully raised over a million dollars. McCormick was also active in child welfare groups like the Illinois Children's Home and Aid society from 1943-1952, and in the mid-1940s campaigned to reform adoption laws. His other non-profit involvement included work for the American Foundation for the Blind, the Alexander Hamilton Memorial, and the McCormick Theological Seminary. While he never ran for public office, McCormick was an active member of the Republican Party, a delegate to the 1936 Republican convention, and highly critical of New Deal initiatives. He remained close friends with Herbert Hoover, and continuously supported the former president's projects and political career. A devout Christian, McCormick was a life-long member and elder of the Presbyterian Church. He died of a heart attack in Seal Harbor, Maine, in 1954.

From the description of Chauncey McCormick papers, 1887-1955. (Newberry Library). WorldCat record id: 654443195

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Chauncey McCormick Papers, 1917-1954 Hoover Institution Archives
creatorOf McCormick, Chauncey, 1884-1954. Chauncey McCormick papers, 1917-1954. Stanford University, Hoover Institution Library
creatorOf McCormick, Chauncey, 1884-1954. Chauncey McCormick papers, 1887-1955. Newberry Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Art Institute of Chicago. corporateBody
associatedWith Goodwin, Philip Lippincott, 1885-1958. person
associatedWith Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964. person
associatedWith Illinois Children's Home and Aid Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kennelly, Martin H., 1887-1961. person
associatedWith Lenroot, Katharine F. (Katharine Fredrica), 1891-1982. person
associatedWith McCormick, Robert Rutherford, 1880-1955. person
associatedWith McCormick Theological Seminary. corporateBody
associatedWith Midwest Manuscript Collection (Newberry Library) corporateBody
associatedWith Newberry Library. corporateBody
associatedWith Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ) corporateBody
associatedWith Stevenson, Adlai E. (Adlai Ewing), 1900-1965. person
associatedWith United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces. corporateBody
associatedWith United States Food Administration. corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Poland
Seal Harbor (Me.)
Illinois
Poland.
United States
Illinois--Chicago
Poland
France
Subject
Businessmen
International relief
Manuscripts, American
Philanthropists
Public welfare
Reconstruction (1914-1939)
Socialites
World War, 1914-1918
World War, 1914-1918
World War, 1914-1918
World War, 1939-1945
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1884

Death 1954

Related Descriptions
Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6b85fcw

Ark ID: w6b85fcw

SNAC ID: 42332439