Mike McCormack | |
|---|---|
 McCormack in 1967 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWashington's4th district | |
| In office January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Catherine May |
| Succeeded by | Sid Morrison |
| Member of theWashington Senate from the16th district | |
| In office January 9, 1961 – November 1, 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Al B. Henry |
| Succeeded by | Daniel J. Jolly |
| Member of theWashington House of Representatives from the16th district | |
| In office January 14, 1957 – January 9, 1961 | |
| Preceded by | Al B. Henry |
| Succeeded by | James N. Leibold |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Claude Gilbert McCormack (1921-12-14)December 14, 1921 |
| Died | November 7, 2020(2020-11-07) (aged 98) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of Toledo Washington State College |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Rank | First lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Claude Gilbert "Mike" McCormack (December 14, 1921 – November 7, 2020) was an American politician, who served asU.S. Representative from the State ofWashington's Fourth Congressional District from 1971 to 1981. He was aDemocrat.[1]
McCormack was born on December 14, 1921, at Basil, Ohio (now part ofBaltimore, Ohio); his parents were ofScots-Irish and English descent. As a young man he attended schools inToledo, Ohio, graduating fromWaite High School. He began college at theUniversity of Toledo in 1939, worked for two years, and then entered military service in 1943. He attendedOCS and was commissioned as second lieutenant, parachute infantry, United States Army, with occupation duty in Germany until 1946, at which time he was discharged as first lieutenant. From 1946 to 1949, he attendedWashington State College and received Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Physical Chemistry. He worked briefly at theUniversity of Puget Sound, and then spent twenty years as a research chemist with the atomic energy facilities of theAtomic Energy Commission atHanford, during which time he resided inRichland, Washington.
In 1956, at age 35, McCormack was first elected to a public office as member of theWashington State House of Representatives, and was re-elected in 1958. During this period he sponsored successful legislation to allow automobiles by default to make right-turns at red lights, a novel idea at the time, in order to conserve energy by reducing time spent idling.
In 1960, at age 39, McCormack was elected to the State Senate, and was re-elected in 1964 and 1968. While serving in the State Senate, McCormack was a member of several important committees, including the Interim Budget Committee and the Joint Committee on Higher Education. He was often associated with public higher education in press coverage. He was a principal author of the legislation that combined and extended the junior colleges of the state into the Community College System during 1967 and 1968.
In 1970, at age 49, McCormack was elected to the United States House of Representatives. His election was an upset victory over five-term Republican RepresentativeCatherine May.
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McCormack entered the United States Congress in 1971 as the only Member with a degree in science, emerging as an expert on energy matters, a prominent issue during the years of his congressional service. He was a member of the House Science and Technology Committee, and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy Research and Production. He was an author of laws that authorized efforts which included matters such as solar energy, electric cars andfusion power, and his expertise on overall energy issues was acknowledged by Members of Congress of both political parties.
McCormack was a cosponsor in a successful attempt to pass legislation intended to facilitate general conversion of the United States to themetric system of measurement. HR 8674, theMetric Conversion Act of 1975, was ultimately signed by President Ford into public law 94-168.[1]
At times, McCormack took positions that were critical of the policies advocated by presidents and administrations of both political parties.
In 1980, at age 59, in the midst of the "Reaganlandslide", McCormack unsuccessfully sought a sixth term againstSid Morrison.
In 1981, McCormack'sCongressional papers were transferred to the Washington State University Library.[2] He then worked in Washington, D.C., through the 1980s, during which time he was made a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and became a member of the Space Telescope Institute Council,[3] an advisory group of theSpace Telescope Science Institute. During the 1990s he lived inEllensburg, Washington, where he created and ran the Institute for Science and Society, which was primarily involved in teachingscience literacy toK-12 teachers.
In 1999, McCormack received the Charles Lathrop Parsons Award,[4] the purpose of which is: "To recognize outstanding public service by a member of theAmerican Chemical Society."
McCormack died inMedford, Oregon, in November 2020 at the age of 98.[5]
| Date | Position | Status | Opponent | Result | Vote share | Opponent vote share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | WA Representative | Challenger | Lost in Democratic primary | Defeated | 19.58% | |
| 1956 | WA Representative | Challenger | B.B. Smith (R) | Elected | 59.49% | 40.51% |
| 1958 | WA Representative | Incumbent | Eleanor Morbeck (R) | Re-elected | 61.94% | 38.06% |
| 1960 | WA Senator | Challenger | Robert W. Benoliel (R) | Elected | 59.13% | 40.87% |
| 1964 | WA Senator | Incumbent | Con Adams (R) | Re-elected | 55.38% | 44.62% |
| 1968 | WA Senator | Incumbent | Mary H. Aldrich (R) | Re-elected | 69.69% | 30.31% |
| 1970 | U.S. Representative | Challenger | Catherine May (R) | Elected | 52.58% | 47.42% |
| 1972 | U.S. Representative | Incumbent | Stewart Bledsoe (R) | Re-elected | 52.08% | 47.92% |
| 1974 | U.S. Representative | Incumbent | Floyd Paxton (R) | Re-elected | 58.91% | 41.09% |
| 1976 | U.S. Representative | Incumbent | Dick Granger (R) | Re-elected | 57.78% | 40.98% |
| 1978 | U.S. Representative | Incumbent | Susan Roylance (R) | Re-elected | 61.15% | 38.85% |
| 1980 | U.S. Representative | Incumbent | Sid Morrison (R) | Defeated | 42.64% | 57.36% |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromWashington's 4th congressional district 1971–1981 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
