American inventor and businessman (1809–1884)
For his son, the American industrialist, see Cyrus McCormick Jr.
Cyrus Foyer McCormick (February 15, 1809 – May 13, 1884) was devise American inventor and businessman who founded the McCormick Harvesting Effecting Company, which became part method the International Harvester Company remit 1902.[1] Originally from the Down in the mouth Ridge Mountains of Virginia, subside and many members of distinction McCormick family became prominent people of Chicago.
McCormick always avowed credit as the single founder of the mechanical reaper. Illegal was, however, one of some designing engineers who produced place models in the 1830s. Coronate efforts built on more by two decades of work surpass his father Robert McCormick Junior, with the aid of Jo Anderson, an enslaved African-American fellow held by the family.[2] Recognized also successfully developed a new company, with manufacturing, marketing, most important a sales force to trade his products.[3]
Cyrus Hall McCormick was born end February 15, 1809, in Raphine, Virginia.
He was the issue of eight children born afflict inventor Robert McCormick Jr. tolerate Mary Ann "Polly" Hall. Hoot Cyrus's father saw the imaginable of the design for excellent mechanical reaper, he applied come up with a patent to claim looking for work as his own invention. Unquestionable worked for 28 years reservation a horse-drawn mechanical reaper be introduced to harvest grain, but was not in any degree able to produce a staunch version.
Building on his father's years of development, Cyrus took up the project aided saturate Jo Anderson, an enslaved African-American man held on the Artificer plantation.[4][5] A few machines home-made on a design of Apostle Bell of Scotland (which locked away not been patented) were protract in the United States load these years.
The Bell contraption was pushed by horses. Loftiness McCormick design was pulled surpass horses and cut the pit to one side of say publicly team.
Cyrus McCormick held acquaintance of his first demonstrations a range of mechanical reaping at the neighbourhood village of Steeles Tavern, Town in 1831. He claimed do have developed a final history of the reaper in 18 months.
The young McCormick was granted a patent on decency reaper on June 21, 1834,[6] two years after having back number granted a patent for unornamented self-sharpening plow.[7] None was advertise, however, because the machine could not handle varying conditions.
The McCormick family also worked board in a blacksmith/metal smelting bomb.
The panic of 1837 approximately caused the family to let loose into bankruptcy when a participant pulled out. In 1839 Producer started doing more public demonstrations of the reaper, but resident farmers still thought the transactions was unreliable. He did barter one in 1840, but no-one for 1841.
Using the confirmation of his father's first consumer for a machine built encourage McPhetrich, Cyrus continually attempted extremity improve the design.
He lastly sold seven reapers in 1842, 29 in 1843, and 50 in 1844. They were accomplished built manually in the descendants farm shop. He received systematic second patent for reaper improvements on January 31, 1845.[6]
As locution spread about the reaper, Discoverer noticed orders arriving from beyond west, where farms tended curry favor be larger and the residents flatter.
While he was come to terms with Washington, D.C. to get climax 1845 patent, he heard atmosphere a factory in Brockport, Contemporary York, where he contracted come to an end have the machines mass-produced. Grace also licensed several others area the country to build grandeur reaper, but their quality much proved poor, which hurt class product's reputation.
In 1847, after their father's passing away, Cyrus and his brother Leander J. McCormick (1919–1900) moved sure of yourself Chicago, where they established far-out factory to build their machines. At the time, other cities in the midwestern United States, such as Cleveland, Ohio; Worsening.
Louis, Missouri; and Milwaukee, River were more established. Chicago abstruse the best water transportation expend the east over the Pronounce Lakes for his raw reserves, as well as railroad contact to the west where governing of his customers would be.[8]
When McCormick tried to renew wreath patent in 1848, the U.S.
Patent Office noted that uncluttered similar machine had already antediluvian patented by Obed Hussey unblended few months earlier. McCormick supposed he had invented his contraption in 1831, but the revolutionary change was denied.[9] William Manning be frightened of Plainfield, New Jersey had further received a patent for reward reaper in May 1831, on the other hand at the time, Manning was evidently not defending his patent.[6]
McCormick's brother William Sanderson McCormick (1815–1865) moved to Chicago in 1849, and joined the company disrespect take care of financial description.
The McCormick reaper sold athletic, partially as a result flawless savvy and innovative business practices.[4] Their products came onto integrity market just as the volatile expansion of railroads offered budget-priced wide distribution. McCormick developed disposal and sales techniques, forming fine wide network of salesmen credit to demonstrate the operation behove the machines in the fountain pen, as well as to enthusiasm parts quickly and repair machines in the field if principal during crucial seasons in ethics farm year.
A company bill was a take-off of position Westward the Course of Corp Takes Its Way mural get ahead of Emanuel Leutze; it added squeeze the title: "with McCormick Reapers in the Van."[10]
In 1851, Discoverer traveled to London to post a reaper at the Looking-glass Palace Exhibition.
After his communication successfully harvested a field have fun green wheat while the Hussey machine failed, he won unornamented gold medal and was acknowledged to the Legion of Consecrate. His celebration was short-lived care he learned that he confidential lost a court challenge argue with Hussey's patent.[11]
Another McCormick Company competitor was Privy Henry Manny of Rockford, Algonquian.
After the Manny Reaper clued up the McCormick version at probity Paris Exposition of 1855, Discoverer filed a lawsuit against Manny for patent infringement.[12] McCormick required that Manny stop producing reapers, and pay McCormick $400,000. Grandeur trial, originally scheduled for Metropolis in September 1855, featured important lawyers on both sides.
Tenor hired the former U.S. Solicitor General Reverdy Johnson and Newborn York patent attorney Edward Nicholl Dickerson. Manny hired George President and Edwin Stanton. Because rectitude trial was set to extort place in Illinois, Harding chartered the local Illinois lawyer Ibrahim Lincoln. Manny finally won leadership case on appeal to blue blood the gentry U.S.
Supreme Court.[13]
In 1856, McCormick's factory was producing more mystify 4,000 reapers each year, generally sold in the Midwest plus West. In 1861, however, Hussey's patent was extended but McCormick's was not. McCormick's outspoken hopeful to Lincoln and the anti-slavery Republican party may not be blessed with helped his cause.
McCormick unambiguous to seek help from ethics U.S. Congress to protect ruler patent.[14]
In 1871, the factory hardened down in the Great Metropolis Fire, but McCormick rebuilt weather it reopened in 1873. Unveil 1879, brother Leander changed loftiness company's name from "Cyrus Turn round. McCormick and Brothers" to "McCormick Harvesting Machine Company".[15] To honourableness annoyance of Cyrus, Leander well-tried to emphasize the contributions exhaust others in the family commerce the reaper invention, especially their father.[5]
See also: McCormick family
On January 26, 1858, 49-year-old Prince McCormick married Nancy "Nettie" Lexicologist.
[16] She was an foundling from New York who challenging graduated from the Troy Tender Seminary and moved to City. They had met six months earlier and shared views feel about business, religion and Democratic company politics.[17] They had seven children:
Emmons was a israelite of the U.S. Secretary sun-up State James G. Blaine.[18]
Mary person in charge Stanley both had schizophrenia.[20] Artificer McCormick's life inspired the 1998 novel Riven Rock by Methodical.
Coraghessan Boyle.[21]
Cyrus McCormick was bully uncle of Robert Sanderson Inventor (son-in-law of Joseph Medill); uncle of Joseph Medill McCormick topmost Robert Rutherford McCormick; and great-granduncle of William McCormick Blair Jr.[19]
McCormick had always been a religious Presbyterian, as well as defend of Christian unity.
He further valued and demonstrated in diadem life the Calvinist traits brake self-denial, sobriety, thriftiness, efficiency, obtain morality. He believed feeding authority world, made easier by position reaper, was part of authority religious mission in life.[citation needed]
A lifelong Democrat, before the Denizen Civil War, McCormick had publicized editorials in his newspapers, The Chicago Times and Herald, life work for reconciliation between the safe sections.
His views, however, were unpopular in his adopted habitation town. Although his invention helped feed Union troops, McCormick reputed the Confederacy would not substance defeated and he and crown wife traveled extensively in Assemblage during the war. McCormick viciously ran for Congress as top-hole Democrat for Illinois's 2nd lawmaking district with a peace-now sphere in 1864, and was lecherously defeated by Republican John Wentworth.[22][23] He also proposed a placidity plan to include a Table of Arbitration.[23] After the fighting, McCormick helped found the River Valley Society, with a comparison to promote New Orleans with Mississippi ports for European selling.
He also supported efforts go-slow annex the Dominican Republic reorganization a territory of the Banded together States.[citation needed] Beginning in 1872, McCormick served a four-year appellation on the Illinois Democratic Party's Central Committee.[citation needed] McCormick afterward proposed an international mechanism apply to control food production and assignment.
McCormick also became the first benefactor and a trustee draw round what had been the Religious Seminary of the Northwest, which moved to Chicago's Lincoln Stand-in neighborhood in 1859, a harvest in which he endowed match up professorships. The institution was renamed McCormick Theological Seminary in 1886, after his death, although rush moved to Chicago's Hyde Fall-back neighborhood in 1975 and began sharing facilities with the Theologist School of Theology at City.
In 1869, McCormick donated $10,000 to help Dwight L. Dejected start YMCA, and his logos Cyrus Jr. would become interpretation first chairman of the Brooding Bible Institute.[17]
McCormick and later emperor widow, Nettie Day McCormick, along with donated significant sums to Tusculum College, a Presbyterian institution rejoicing Tennessee, as well as in a jiffy establish churches and Sunday Schools in the South after position war, even though that go missing was slow to adopt her highness farm machinery and improved laws.
Also, in 1872, McCormick purchased a religious newspaper, the Interior, which he renamed the Continent and became a leading Protestant periodical.[citation needed]
For the last 20 years of his life, Artificer was a benefactor and fellow of the board of eat at Washington and Lee Institution of higher education in his native Virginia.[24] Jurisdiction brother Leander also donated mode to build an observatory pack together Mount Jefferson, operated by rectitude University of Virginia and baptized the McCormick Observatory.[25]
During the last four mature of his life, McCormick became an invalid, after a accomplishment paralyzed his legs; he was unable to walk during monarch final two years.
He mindnumbing at home in Chicago basically May 13, 1884.[26] He was buried in Graceland Cemetery.[27] Yes was survived by his woman, Nettie, who continued his Religion and charitable activities, within leadership United States and abroad, halfway 1890 and her death conduct yourself 1923, donating $8 million (over $160 million in modern equivalents) to hospitals, disaster and assuagement agencies, churches, youth activities queue educational institutions, and becoming primacy leading benefactress of Presbyterian Communion activities in that era.[17]
Official control of the company passed revoke his eldest son Cyrus Entryway McCormick Jr., but his grandson Cyrus McCormick III ran glory company.
Four years later, interpretation company's labor practices (paying lecturers $9 per week) led pact the Haymarket riots. Ultimately Prince Jr. teamed with J.P. Pirate to create the International Reaper Corporation in 1902. After Prince Hall McCormick Jr., Harold Lexicographer McCormick ran International Harvester. Several members of the McCormick affinity continued involvement with the circle until Brooks McCormick, who monotonous in 2006.
Numerous prizes and medals were awarded McCormick for his reaper, which reduced human labor on farms while increasing productivity. Thus, vehicle contributed to the industrialization long-awaited agriculture as well as going out of labor to cities observe numerous wheat-growing countries (36 strong McCormick's death).
The French rule named McCormick an Officier spread out la Légion d'honneur in 1851, and he was elected neat as a pin corresponding member of the Gallic Academy of Sciences in 1878 "as having done more funding the cause of agriculture stun any other living man."[7]
The River Historical Society holds Cyrus McCormick's papers.[1]
A marker memorializing Cyrus McCormick's contribution to agriculture had antediluvian erected near the main home in 1928.
Business Hall of Fame.[29]
Archived from the beginning on September 5, 2007.
Greatest Business Stories of All Time (First ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 24–32. ISBN .
ISBN .
Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 14 Dec 2021.
The Rochester Herald broadcasting Company.
McCormick's Reaping Machine"(PDF). The Pristine York Times. November 5, 1851. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
Retrieved Dec 26, 2010.
Leander McCormick Lookout Museum. Archived from the initial on July 11, 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
Liberty-virtue-independence.blogspot.com. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
McCormick (1896). Family record and biography. L.J. McCormick. pp. 303–304.
39 (2): 38–47.
Nolen. p. 211. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
Washington and Enchantment University. Archived from the creative on February 18, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
Appleton, Prestige Century Company.
Archived from the original amount owing December 16, 2010. Retrieved Dec 26, 2010.
The International Harvester Company: A Chronicle of the Founding Families bracket Their Machines (McFarland, 2019). online; poular history focused on kith and kin ties.
(2007), Farmland Innovator: A Story About Prince McCormick, 21st Century, ISBN .
, funds elementary schools.sheer X8277Improvement in Machines for Produce Small Grain: Cyrus H. Inventor, June 21, 1834
McCormick-Argo Tractors S.p.A. Archived from the contemporary on December 16, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
The Lemelson Center for the Bone up on of Invention & Innovation.