Vance Criswell McCormick (June 19, 1872 – June 16, 1946) was an
American politician
The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...
and prominent
businessman
A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...
from
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He served as
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of Harrisburg from 1902 to 1905 and as
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
Democratic National Committee chairman from 1916 to 1919. He was appointed chair of the
American delegation at the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
in 1919, under
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Woodrow Wilson.
Biography
McCormick was born in 1872 to Henry McCormick and Annie Criswell. He attended
Harrisburg Academy and
Phillips Andover
("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness
, address = 180 Main Street
, city = Andover
, state = Ma ...
before completing a
civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...
course at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
. McCormick graduated from Yale's
Sheffield Scientific School
Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, for instruction in science and engineering. Originally named the Yale Scientific School, it was renamed in 1861 in honor of Joseph E. Sheffiel ...
in 1893, and was given an honorary
MA degree
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
by the university in 1907. While at Yale he was a member of
St. Anthony Hall. A born
athlete and leader, he became captain of the class
football and
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
teams his freshman year and was on the university football team his junior and senior years. Vance was named to
Walter Camp's All American Team as the first team
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. He served as president of Intercollegiate Football Association his senior year and garnered other university honors and awards, as well, including class
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
.
He was also student body president of Yale in 1893.
Business and politics
In 1902, McCormick began his career as journalist and publisher. He was president of The Patriot Company, publishers of several area newspapers including ''
The Patriot'' (1902 to 1946), ''The Evening News'' (1917 to 1946), and ''Harrisburg Common Council'' (1900 to 1902). He was also president of the Pinkey Mining Company, located in Harrisburg.
In 1902, McCormick was elected
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of Harrisburg and as part of the growing
City Beautiful movement
The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of the ...
he immediately set about to improve the city. Today, he is credited with expanding the city
park system (which eventually included 1,100 acres), built steps along the
Susquehanna River and paved
Riverfront Park (which still exists today), paved seventy miles of roads, and improved the city water system. During this time, the population of Harrisburg increased from 51,000 to 73,000. His uncle, Edward Z. Gross, would go on to succeed him as Mayor of Harrisburg in 1905.
In 1912, he served as a delegate to the
Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania. McCormick was the Democratic nominee for
Governor of Pennsylvania in
1914
This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...
, finishing second in a seven-candidate field. Republican nominee
Martin Brumbaugh, Superintendent of the
School District of Philadelphia
The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the 8th largest school district in the nation, by enrollment, serving over 200 ...
, defeated McCormick on the strength of a strong performance in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
and
Allegheny counties.
From 1916 to 1919,
McCormick served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee and went on to be appointed chair of the
American Commission to Negotiate Peace (1919) at
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
, under President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
, heading up numerous clubs and organizations along the way. He also served as Wilson's
1916
Events
Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix.
January
* January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled.
* J ...
campaign manager, as chair of the War Trade Board (1916 to 1919) and as a member of many local, state, national and international organizations throughout the later years.
He helped professor
Thomas Garrigue Masaryk
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the ...
legions especially in Russia in 1918.
Later life
McCormick remained a
bachelor
A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". ().
Etymo ...
until the age of 52, when he married the widow of
Martin Olmsted, an eight-term
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Congressman. They announced their engagement on December 29, 1924.
Vance died at his country estate (Cedar Cliff Farms), June 16, 1946, near
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Camp Hill is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It is southwest of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. The population was 7,888 at the 2010 census. There are many large corporations bas ...
. Mrs. McCormick died in 1953.
McCormick was a
teetotaler for his lifetime.
Head coaching record
References
External links
* Vance Criswell McCormick papers (MS 478). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library
McCormick Family Historyat the Center of Pennsylvania Culture Studies at
Penn State Harrisburg
Penn State Harrisburg, also called The Capital College, is an undergraduate college and graduate school of the Pennsylvania State University located in Lower Swatara Township, Pennsylvania. The campus is located 9 miles (15 km) south of Ha ...
*
:la:Vance C. McCormick
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCormick, Vance C.
1872 births
1946 deaths
19th-century players of American football
All-American college football players
American football drop kickers
American football halfbacks
American football quarterbacks
Burials at Harrisburg Cemetery
Carlisle Indians football coaches
Democratic National Committee chairs
Harrisburg Academy alumni
Mayors of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Phillips Academy alumni
Players of American football from Pennsylvania
Yale Bulldogs football players