L. Hamilton McCormick
Encyclopedia
Leander Hamilton McCormick (1859–1934) was an American
author, inventor, art collector and sculptor.
, May 27, 1859.
His grandfather Robert McCormick of Virginia
invented agricultural machinery.
His father, Leander J. McCormick
(1819–1900), came to Chicago in 1848 and was a partner with his brothers, Cyrus
and William Sanderson McCormick
to form what would become International Harvester
.
He was the youngest of four children of his mother Henrietta Hamilton McCormick.
McCormick received his education principally at Phillips Academy
, Andover
, and at Amherst College
, graduating in the class of 1881. He afterwards took a course in law at Columbia Law School
in New York City
and studied architecture
in New York. After finishing his education he traveled in the United States
, Europe
, northern Africa
, Mexico
, Central America
, Yucatan
, the West Indies and the Bermudas. In 1886, while touring Europe
, he met Constance Plummer, the daughter of Edward Plummer, of Canterbury
, England
, whom he married on February 15, 1887. They had three sons: Leander James McCormick born January 6, 1888, Edward Hamilton McCormick born August 3, 1889, and Allister Hamilton McCormick born August 3, 1891.
At the age of fourteen and McCormick invented a non-pickable door lock. While at college he invented two automatic railroad car couplers and a ballot box to register votes and prevent fraud at the polls. His principal sport in youth was boxing. He was one of the founders of the Amherst chapter of the Beta Theta Pi
Society. After graduating from Amherst he resided for several years in New York City, where in addition to taking law and architectural courses he devoted his time to his study of Characterology
. He also collected paintings, old armor, ancient pottery, old ivories, primitive glassware and objets d'art while living in London
for seventeen years after his marriage.
His art collection included 200 examples of the Italian, early English and old Dutch schools. He made over a hundred inventions and took out many patents. However, since he inherited a fortune, he did not need to earn a living. He claimed to have invented an aerial torpedo
, motorcycles, eyeglasses for looking backward while driving, a watch which shows the time the world over, an electric rotary brush, an electric rotary razor, an apparatus to locate vessels in a fog at sea, a boat which will not rock in rough water, a quadricycle to lessen vibration upon rough roads, an hydroplane for skimming over the surface of the water, an ambulance to prevent shock or vibration to its occupant, an audiophone for theatre use, a water cycle, a scheme to bridge the English Channel
, and finally at the end of the World War I
an improvement in war tanks, which came just as hostilities ended.
During the war he was a government consultant at Washington, DC on financial, military and naval issues.
In sculpture his principal works were a three-quarter-life sized statue entitled "Sapho" one of "Victory," and a figure emblematic of "The Birth of a Spirit."
He was the author of Characterology; an exact science, published in 1920, and Student's Course in Characterology: an exact science in fifteen lessons in 1921.
He also wrote on other related topics.
He died on February 2, 1934 and was buried at Woodlawn Park Cemetery in Miami, Florida
.
His mansion, near downtown Chicago, has been the home of the Chicago Lawry's restaurant since the mid-1970s.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author, inventor, art collector and sculptor.
Life
Hamilton McCormick (as he was known) was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, May 27, 1859.
His grandfather Robert McCormick of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
invented agricultural machinery.
His father, Leander J. McCormick
Leander J. McCormick
Leander James McCormick was an American farmer, inventor, manufacturer, and businessman. Although born in rural Virginia, he later owned vast amounts of real estate in downtown Chicago.-Life:...
(1819–1900), came to Chicago in 1848 and was a partner with his brothers, Cyrus
Cyrus McCormick
Cyrus Hall McCormick, Sr. was an American inventor and founder of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which became part of International Harvester Company in 1902.He and many members of the McCormick family became prominent Chicagoans....
and William Sanderson McCormick
William Sanderson McCormick
William Sanderson McCormick was an American businessman who developed the company that became the major producer of agricultural equipment in the 19th century...
to form what would become International Harvester
International Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
.
He was the youngest of four children of his mother Henrietta Hamilton McCormick.
McCormick received his education principally at Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
, Andover
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
, and at Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, graduating in the class of 1881. He afterwards took a course in law at Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and studied architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
in New York. After finishing his education he traveled in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, northern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, Yucatan
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
, the West Indies and the Bermudas. In 1886, while touring Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, he met Constance Plummer, the daughter of Edward Plummer, of Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, whom he married on February 15, 1887. They had three sons: Leander James McCormick born January 6, 1888, Edward Hamilton McCormick born August 3, 1889, and Allister Hamilton McCormick born August 3, 1891.
At the age of fourteen and McCormick invented a non-pickable door lock. While at college he invented two automatic railroad car couplers and a ballot box to register votes and prevent fraud at the polls. His principal sport in youth was boxing. He was one of the founders of the Amherst chapter of the Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
Society. After graduating from Amherst he resided for several years in New York City, where in addition to taking law and architectural courses he devoted his time to his study of Characterology
Characterology
Characterology is a method of character reading that attempted to combine revised physiognomy, reconstructed phrenology and amplified pathognomy, with ethnology, sociology and anthropology. Developed by L...
. He also collected paintings, old armor, ancient pottery, old ivories, primitive glassware and objets d'art while living in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for seventeen years after his marriage.
His art collection included 200 examples of the Italian, early English and old Dutch schools. He made over a hundred inventions and took out many patents. However, since he inherited a fortune, he did not need to earn a living. He claimed to have invented an aerial torpedo
Aerial torpedo
The aerial torpedo, airborne torpedo or air-dropped torpedo is a naval weapon, the torpedo, designed to be dropped into water from an aircraft after which it propels itself to the target. First used in World War I, air-dropped torpedoes were used extensively in World War II, and remain in limited...
, motorcycles, eyeglasses for looking backward while driving, a watch which shows the time the world over, an electric rotary brush, an electric rotary razor, an apparatus to locate vessels in a fog at sea, a boat which will not rock in rough water, a quadricycle to lessen vibration upon rough roads, an hydroplane for skimming over the surface of the water, an ambulance to prevent shock or vibration to its occupant, an audiophone for theatre use, a water cycle, a scheme to bridge the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, and finally at the end of the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
an improvement in war tanks, which came just as hostilities ended.
During the war he was a government consultant at Washington, DC on financial, military and naval issues.
In sculpture his principal works were a three-quarter-life sized statue entitled "Sapho" one of "Victory," and a figure emblematic of "The Birth of a Spirit."
He was the author of Characterology; an exact science, published in 1920, and Student's Course in Characterology: an exact science in fifteen lessons in 1921.
He also wrote on other related topics.
He died on February 2, 1934 and was buried at Woodlawn Park Cemetery in Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
His mansion, near downtown Chicago, has been the home of the Chicago Lawry's restaurant since the mid-1970s.