Richard Cunningham McCormick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Cunningham McCormick
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| 2nd Governor of Arizona Territory | |
| In office March 14, 1866 – December 13, 1868 |
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| Nominated by | Andrew Johnson |
| Preceded by | John Noble Goodwin |
| Succeeded by | Anson P.K. Safford |
| Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona Territory | |
| In office March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1875 |
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| Preceded by | Coles Bashford |
| Succeeded by | Hiram Sanford Stevens |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 1st district |
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| In office March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897 |
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| Preceded by | James W. Covert |
| Succeeded by | Joseph M. Belford |
| 1st Secretary of Arizona Territory | |
| In office December 29, 1863 – March 14, 1866 |
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| Nominated by | Abraham Lincoln |
| Preceded by | N/A (Newly created position) |
| Succeeded by | James P. T. Carter |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 23, 1832 New York City |
| Died | June 2, 1901 (aged 69) New York City |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Unionist/Republican |
| Spouses | Margaret Hunt (1865–1867) Elizabeth Thurman (1873– ) |
| Signature | .png){kind=small} |
Richard Cunningham McCormick, Jr. (May 23, 1832 – June 2, 1901) was an important American politician, businessman, and journalist. He served as the second Governor of Arizona Territory. He was also elected three times as a representative for Arizona Territory in the U.S. House of Representatives. Later, he became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for New York. McCormick was a reporter during two wars and started two newspapers in Arizona.
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Early Life and Career
Richard Cunningham McCormick was born in New York City on May 23, 1832. His father, Richard Cunningham McCormick, was a secretary for a big merchant group in New York. Young Richard was often sick, so he was taught at home by private teachers. He was expected to go to Columbia University.
Instead of college, he traveled to Europe in 1854 because people at that time believed travel could help with health problems. While in Europe, he became a war correspondent, reporting on the Crimean War. After returning home, he wrote two books about his experiences.
When he was 25, McCormick started working on Wall Street, a famous financial area. Soon after, he became a secretary for the YMCA and edited a magazine for young men. In 1860, he became the editor of the New York Evening Post newspaper. When the American Civil War began, McCormick went to the battlefields as a war reporter.
McCormick also got involved in politics early on. In 1858, he was elected a public school trustee in New York. He joined the Republican State Committee in 1860 and worked on Abraham Lincoln's campaign for president. In 1862, he tried to get elected to the U.S. House of Representatives but did not win. That same year, he was appointed chief clerk for the Department of Agriculture.
McCormick was married twice. His first marriage was to Margaret Grifiths Hunt in 1865. Margaret passed away in 1867. His second marriage was to Elizabeth Thurman in 1873.
Leading Arizona Territory
President Lincoln chose McCormick to be the Secretary of Arizona Territory on March 7, 1863. After being approved, he traveled with Governor Goodwin's group to the new territory. McCormick officially started his job on December 29, 1863. This was part of a ceremony at Navajo Springs that officially created Arizona Territory. One of his first jobs was to design the territory's first official seal.
Outside of his official duties, McCormick started a newspaper called the Arizona Miner. He brought a special printing press with him to do this. The first edition of the newspaper was printed on March 9, 1864. It helped McCormick's political career because he could always get good news coverage. The newspaper also allowed him to share his ideas with the people of Arizona.
In 1868, the capital of the territory moved to Tucson. McCormick sold his property and bought a share in another newspaper, the Weekly Arizonian. He worked with this paper until 1870. When the paper's editor stopped supporting him, McCormick took back his printing press. He then started a new newspaper called the Arizona Citizen on October 15, 1870.
During his time in Arizona, McCormick was a leader in a group called the "Federal Ring." This group included territorial officials and important citizens. They worked together to protect American settlers, establish law and order, and help Arizona's economy grow. This group was very powerful in Arizona politics from 1863 to 1877. They helped create a government that was mostly free of corruption.
After Governor Goodwin left for Washington in late 1865, Secretary McCormick became the acting governor. He was officially appointed as governor on March 14, 1866. One of the biggest challenges McCormick faced was dealing with conflicts from Apache and other Native American tribes. He asked for more U.S. Army troops and suggested combining small forts into larger ones. Instead of fighting the tribes, McCormick supported creating Indian reservations for them.
McCormick believed Arizona's economy should focus on mining, like California's. To attract businesses, he supported a low-tax policy. He also pushed for building roads, railroads, telegraph lines, and postal routes. These were all needed for a strong economy. He even asked Congress to get more land from Mexico so Arizona could have a port on the Gulf of California. To feed the growing population, he encouraged settlers and "tame" Native Americans to farm. He also asked for courthouses and jails to protect people from outlaws.
Serving as a Delegate
McCormick announced he wanted to be the territorial delegate on March 12, 1868. The election was on June 3, 1868. He ran as a non-partisan candidate, meaning he didn't stick to one political party. The election was mostly about moving the territorial capital. McCormick won only one county, Pima County, but he won by enough votes to become the territorial delegate.
McCormick left Arizona Territory on December 13, 1868, and went to Washington D.C. In Congress, McCormick was very effective because he knew many important people. He was chosen to lead a group of seven territorial delegates. They worked together to pass laws that would help all U.S. territories.
During his first term, McCormick focused on the Apache Wars and setting up more postal routes in Arizona. He also worked on land ownership issues in Prescott and making Arizona Territory a separate land district. After returning to Arizona to campaign, McCormick was re-elected for his second term on November 8, 1870.
McCormick's second term also focused on the Apache Wars. He disagreed with President Ulysses S. Grant's plan to negotiate with the Apache. However, he successfully pushed for George Crook to restart military actions against them. In May 1871, McCormick became temporarily blind in one eye after getting sick. His right eye recovered, but his left eye was permanently damaged.
McCormick ran for his third term without any opponents because he opposed President Grant's "Peace Plan" for Native Americans. During this term, he achieved several important changes. He argued that good people were not taking jobs as territorial officials because the pay was too low. He managed to get the pay for territorial lawmakers raised to US$6 per day and the governor's pay raised to US$3,000 per year.
He also succeeded in moving the management of U.S. territories from the State Department to the Department of the Interior. This change happened on March 1, 1873. McCormick also worked on a bill to limit the killing of American Bison (buffalo) unless they were used for food. He also helped resolve citizenship issues for Mexican-born residents in Arizona who lived on land bought through the Gadsden Purchase. He continued to expand mail routes and made it a crime to damage the new military telegraph system. McCormick decided not to run for a fourth term.
Later Life
After leaving his role as territorial delegate, McCormick became a commissioner for the Centennial Exposition, a big world's fair. In 1876, he became the secretary of the Republican National Committee and worked on Rutherford B. Hayes's presidential campaign. In 1877, McCormick was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. Later that year, he was named the U.S. Commissioner General for the Paris Exposition in France. After this service, the President of France honored him with the title of Commander of the Legion of Honor in 1878.
McCormick was offered jobs as an ambassador to Brazil in 1877 and Mexico in 1879, but he turned them down. Instead, he returned to New York City and settled in the Jamaica area of Queens. There, he became involved in many businesses. He was president or director of several mining companies and a trustee of a bank. McCormick tried to get elected to the United States House of Representatives again in 1882 and 1886 but did not win. However, in 1894, he was elected to represent New York's first district for one term.
Richard Cunningham McCormick died on June 2, 1901, at his home in Jamaica, New York.
McCormick Street in downtown Tucson, Arizona, is named in his honor.
Images for kids
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Richard Cunningham McCormick's signature.
