John W. McCormack
John William McCormack (December 21, 1891 – November 22, 1980) was an American politician from Boston, Massachusetts. McCormack served in the United States Army during World War I, and afterwards in the Massachusetts State Senate before winning election to the United States House of Representatives.
John McCormack
Carl Albert
Carl Albert
Sam Rayburn
Sam Rayburn
Charles A. Halleck
Sam Rayburn
Leslie C. Arends
Leslie C. Arends
Leslie C. Arends
12th district (1928–1963)
9th district (1963–1971)
William H. McDonnell
Patrick M. Costello, Michael J. Reidy
Hugh H. Garrity, Walter B. Grant
December 21, 1891
Boston, Massachusetts
November 22, 1980 (aged 88)
Dedham, Massachusetts
Saint Joseph Cemetery
West Roxbury, Massachusetts
Edward J. McCormack Jr. (nephew)
Politician
1918
14th Company, 151st Depot Brigade
Infantry Replacement Center, Camp Lee, Virginia
McCormack advanced through the leadership ranks to become majority leader before being chosen as the 45th speaker of the House. He served as speaker from 1962 until his 1971 retirement.
McCormack's congressional career was highlighted by his support for the New Deal measures undertaken to combat the Great Depression, U.S. involvement in World War II, and support for the Great Society programs of the 1960s, including civil rights, education, and health care for the elderly. A staunch anti-communist, McCormack supported U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. His support for the war and the seniority system in Congress caused increasing numbers of younger members to challenge his leadership; McCormack survived a 1969 contest with Mo Udall for the Speakership. He did not run for reelection to his House seat in 1970, and retired to his home in Boston. He later resided at a Dedham nursing home, where he died in 1980.
At 42 years and 58 days, as of 2022 McCormack's service in the U.S. House ranks 18th in terms of uninterrupted time. He is the longest-serving member of the U.S. House in Massachusetts history.
Early life[edit]
McCormack was born in Boston on December 21, 1891.[1] He was the son of Joseph H. McCormack, a hod carrier and native of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and his wife Mary Ellen (née O'Brien) McCormack of Boston (1861–1913).[2] He said he was one of 12 children, several of whom died as children or young adults.[2] In fact, Mary Ellen McCormack carried eight children to term, and six lived long enough to be counted in the census or included in other records.[2] John McCormack's older siblings Patrick (d. 1911), Catherine (d. 1906), and James (d. 1906) died at ages 24, 19 and 17, respectively.[2] His brother Edward ("Knocko") died in Boston in 1963 at age 67.[3] McCormack's brother Donald died in Texas in 1966 at the age of 65.[4] McCormack also had a half brother named Harry from his father's first marriage; Harry died on Prince Edward Island at age 18 in 1902.[2]
McCormack said for most of his life that his father died when McCormack was 13; other sources indicate that his father actually left the family and moved to Waldoboro, Maine, where he worked in the local granite quarries.[2] He died in 1929, and was buried in a pauper's grave at Waldoboro Rural Cemetery.[2]
McCormack attended the John Andrew Grammar School through the eighth grade.[1] He then left school to help support his family, initially working for $3 a week (about $95 in 2021) as an errand boy for a brokerage firm.[5] McCormack and his brothers also managed a large newspaper delivery route for $11 a week (about $347 in 2021).[5] He later left the brokerage for the office of attorney William T. Way, where he received a 50-cent a week increase.[5] He began to study law with Way, passed the Massachusetts bar exam at age 21, and was admitted to the bar despite not having gone to high school or college.[6] He was also an active member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.[7]
Start of political career[edit]
As a young man, McCormack began his involvement in politics by making campaign speeches on behalf of local Democratic candidates.[8] In May 1917, McCormack was elected to serve as a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention, representing the 11th Suffolk District of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.[9][10]
World War I[edit]
In June 1918, McCormack enlisted in the United States Army for World War I,[11] and was initially posted to Camp Devens, Massachusetts, as a member of the 14th Company of the 151st Depot Brigade.[12] After completing his initial training, McCormack was assigned to the Infantry Replacement Center at Camp Lee, Virginia, to receive officer training.[12] McCormack advanced through the ranks from private to sergeant major, and was attending Officer Training School at Camp Lee when the Armistice occurred.[12] He was discharged in late November, following the end of the war.[11][12]
Legacy[edit]
In 1983, the University of Massachusetts Boston established the John W. McCormack Institute of Public Affairs.[11] In 1985, the university dedicated John W. McCormack Hall, which was named in McCormack's honor.[34] In 2003, the McCormack Institute was expanded into a graduate school.[35] In 2010, the school expanded its mission again, and it was renamed the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies.[35] The McCormack Graduate School's mission currently includes training in social justice, government accountability and transparency, and strengthening democratic institutions.[35]
The John W. McCormack Post Office and Courthouse in Boston was built in the early 1930s, and was renamed in McCormack's honor.[36] It was designated a Boston landmark by the city Landmarks Commission in 1998, and in 2011 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[37]
John W. McCormack Middle School in Dorchester was also named for him.[36]
A Massachusetts state government office building at Ashburton Place in Boston is also named for McCormack.[38]
Family[edit]
In 1920, McCormack married Marguerite Harriet Joyce (usually known as Harriet or M. Harriet); she was seven years older than McCormack and pursuing a career as an opera singer, a vocation she gave up after their wedding.[11]
The McCormacks had no children.[11]
While Congress was in session, they lived at the Washington Hotel.[11]
Stories about McCormack's devotion to his wife became legendary; his friends and colleagues claimed that they always had dinner together, no matter how late McCormack worked, and that they never spent a night apart.[11]
McCormack and his wife were devout Roman Catholics, and he was a Knight of Columbus;[39] both were honored by the Vatican in recognition of their work on behalf of the church.[20]
Harriet McCormack died at age 87 in December 1971, following a long hospitalization.[20][40] For more than a year, McCormack had spent every night in an adjoining hospital room.[20]
Edward J. McCormack Jr., the son of McCormack's brother Edward ("Knocko"), served as Massachusetts Attorney General from 1958 to 1963.[41] He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for United States Senator in 1962, and the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Governor of Massachusetts in the 1966 election.[41]