Joseph McCormick (politician and soldier)

19th century American politician

This article is about the Wisconsin and Indiana politician. For other people, see Joseph McCormick (disambiguation).

Joseph McCormick

Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Door-Kewaunee district
In office
January 2, 1871 – January 1, 1872
Preceded by| Charles L. Harris
Succeeded by| Gideon Winans Allen
Member of the Indiana House of Representatives
from the Fountain district
In office
December 5, 1842 – December 4, 1843

Serving with John Stewart

Preceded by| Edward A. Hannegan
Succeeded by| John R. Jones
In office
December 3, 1838 – December 7, 1840

Serving with Thomas J. Evans (1838-1839) & Jas. P. Carlton (1839-1840)

Preceded by| Thomas J. Evans & James Carlton
Succeeded by| Davis Newel & Solomon Clark
Personal details
Born| (1787-04-08)April 8, 1787
Wyoming, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died| August 26, 1875(1875-08-26) (aged 88)
Ahnapee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting place| Evergreen Cemetery, Algoma, Wisconsin
Political party| Democratic
Spouses|

* Mary Hatfield

(m. 1806; died 1862)​

* second wife

Children|

* John Harris McCormick
* (b. 1808; died 1890)
* Marcus McCormick
* (b. 1812; died 1892)
* (Mrs. E. A. Shebley)

Military service
Allegiance| United States
Branch/service| United States Army
Years of service| 1812-1816
Rank| Major, USA
Battles/wars| War of 1812

Joseph McCormick (April 18, 1787 - August 26, 1875) was an American farmer, pioneer, and Democratic politician. He was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives and the Wisconsin State Assembly. During his term in the Wisconsin Assembly, he was the oldest serving legislator in the country. Earlier in his life, he served as a United States Army officer in the War of 1812.

## Biography[edit]

Joseph McCormick was born in April 1787 in Wyoming, Pennsylvania.[1] When he was two years old, he moved with his parents to Steuben County, New York, where he was raised and educated. He apprenticed as a river boat pilot, and began running lumber on the Cohocton, Chemung, and Susquehanna rivers all the way to Chesapeake Bay.

At the outbreak of the War of 1812, he volunteered for service in the United States Army and was enrolled as a captain of infantry. He participated in many of the battles of the Niagara Frontier, including the Siege of Fort Erie. He was subsequently promoted to major and resigned his position in 1816, after the end of the war.[1]

He moved to Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, in 1816, and worked in lumber and general merchandise trade until 1829. From there, he moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and then to Covington, Indiana, in 1832.[1] In Indiana, he was appointed postmaster at the community of Rob Roy, by President Andrew Jackson. During this time, he also became the owner of a steam ship, the Detroit, which he ran from Louisville and St. Louis to southern ports on the Mississippi River. During his frequent trips to the south, he became invested in the new state of Texas and was elected to serve as a delegate for the framing of the Texas constitution. However, that same year he had been elected to serve in the Indiana House of Representatives, and therefore had to decline participation in the Texas convention. He ultimately served three terms in the Indiana House, representing Fountain County.[1]

In 1844, he moved west to Warren County, Illinois, then north to Wisconsin in 1848. He resided for a time at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and was described as one of the first Americans to visit the site that would later become Algoma, Wisconsin. He wanted to begin a settlement there, but could not gather a company to join him in the new site, so remained at Manitowoc. He then moved to Forestville, Wisconsin, in Door County, where he lived for 8 years.

He moved to Ahnapee, Wisconsin, in 1868, and from that county he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in the 1870 election.[1] Since the adjournment of the 1871 session, he lived in retirement at his home.

Around 1872 he was thrown from a horse-drawn buggy and seriously injured. He never fully regained his health after that injury, and died at his home in Ahnapee on August 26, 1875.[2][3]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1871. p. 374-375. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
2. ^ "Sounds from Michigan Shore". Green Bay Press-Gazette. September 7, 1875. p. 4. Retrieved July 12, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ "Death of an Old Settler". Wisconsin State Journal. September 3, 1875. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.

Indiana House of Representatives

Preceded by

Thomas J. Evans & James Carlton

|  Member of the Indiana House of Representatives from the Fountain district
December 3, 1838 - December 7, 1840
Served alongside: Thomas J. Evans (1838-1839) & Jas. P. Carlton (1839-1840) | Succeeded by

Davis Newel & Solomon Clark

Preceded by

Edward A. Hannegan

|  Member of the Indiana House of Representatives from the Fountain district
December 5, 1842 - December 4, 1843
Served alongside: John Stewart | Succeeded by

John R. Jones

Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by

Charles L. Harris

|  Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Door-Kewaunee district
January 2, 1871 - January 1, 1872  | Succeeded by

Gideon Winans Allen
*[m.]: married