Vance C. McCormick | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McCormick in 1916 | |
| Chair of theDemocratic National Committee | |
| In office June 15, 1916 – January 15, 1919 | |
| Preceded by | William McCombs |
| Succeeded by | Homer Cummings |
| Mayor of Harrisburg | |
| In office January 6, 1902 – June 30, 1905 | |
| Preceded by | John A. Fritchey |
| Succeeded by | Edward Gross |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Vance Criswell McCormick (1872-06-19)June 19, 1872 |
| Died | June 16, 1946(1946-06-16) (aged 73) Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Gertrude Olmsted |
| Residence | 301 N Front St.[1] |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Profession | |
Vance Criswell McCormick (June 19, 1872 – June 16, 1946) was an American politician and businessman. He served asmayor of Harrisburg from 1902 to 1905 and as chair of theDemocratic National Committee from 1916 to 1919. He also served as the leader of theAmerican delegation at theTreaty of Versailles in 1919, appointed byAmerican President Woodrow Wilson.
McCormick was born in 1872 to Henry McCormick and Annie Criswell. He attendedHarrisburg Academy andPhillips Andover before completing acivil engineering course atYale University. McCormick graduated from Yale'sSheffield Scientific School in 1893, and was given an honoraryMA degree by the university in 1907. While at Yale he was a member ofSt. Anthony Hall. A bornathlete and leader, he became captain of the classfootball andbaseball teams his freshman year and was on the university football team his junior and senior years. Vance was named toWalter Camp's All American Team as the first teamquarterback. He served as president of Intercollegiate Football Association his senior year and garnered other university honors and awards, as well, including being a classdeacon.[2] He was also student body president of Yale in 1893.
In 1902, McCormick began his career as journalist and publisher. He was president of The Patriot Company, publishers of several area newspapers includingThe Patriot (1902 to 1946),The Evening News (1917 to 1946), andHarrisburg Common Council (1900 to 1902). He was also president of the Pinkey Mining Company, located in Harrisburg.[2]
In 1902, McCormick was electedmayor of Harrisburg and as part of the growingCity Beautiful movement he immediately set about to improve the city. Today, he is credited with expanding the citypark system (which eventually included 1,100 acres), built steps along theSusquehanna River and pavedRiverfront 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.[3]
In 1912, he served as a delegate to theDemocratic National Convention from Pennsylvania. McCormick was the Democratic nominee forGovernor of Pennsylvania in1914, finishing second in a seven-candidate field. Republican nomineeMartin Brumbaugh, Superintendent of theSchool District of Philadelphia, defeated McCormick on the strength of a strong performance inPhiladelphia andAllegheny counties.[4] From 1916 to 1919,[5] McCormick served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee and went on to be appointed chair of theAmerican Commission to Negotiate Peace (1919) atVersailles, under PresidentWoodrow Wilson, heading up numerous clubs and organizations along the way. He also served as Wilson's1916 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.[6]
He helped professorThomas Garrigue Masaryk legions especially in Russia in 1918.[7]
McCormick remained abachelor until the age of 52, when he married the widow ofMartin Olmsted, an eight-termRepublicanCongressman. They announced their engagement on December 29, 1924.[8] Vance died at his country estate (Cedar Cliff Farms), June 16, 1946, nearCamp Hill, Pennsylvania. Mrs. McCormick died in 1953.[2][9] McCormick was ateetotaler for his lifetime.[1]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlisle Indians(Independent)(1894–1895) | |||||||||
| 1894 | Carlisle | 1–6–2 | |||||||
| 1895 | Carlisle | 4–4 | |||||||
| Carlisle: | 5–10–2 | ||||||||
| Total: | 5–10–2 | ||||||||
Vance C. McCormick, onetime chairman of the Democratic National Committee, to Mrs. Gertrude Olmsted. widow of Representative Marlin E. Olmsted of Pennsylvania.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor ofHarrisburg, Pennsylvania 1902–1905 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Democratic National Committee 1916–1919 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Pennsylvania 1914 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |