The International Harvester Company: A History Of The Founding Families And Their Machines

Ancient farmers used draft animals for plowing but the heavy work of harvesting fell to the humans, using sickle and scythe. Change came in the mid-19th century when Cyrus Hall McCormick built the mechanical harvester. Though the McCormicks used their wealth to establish art collections and universities, battle disease, and develop birth control, members of the family faced constant scrutiny and scandal. This book recounts their story as well as the history of the International Harvester Company (IHC)—a merger of the McCormick and Deering companies and the world’s leader in agricultural machinery in the 1900s.

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
One. Cyrus Hall McCormick Comes to Chicago 5
Two. Cyrus and Nettie McCormick and Family 26
Three. The Brothers: William and Leander 41
Four. The Rivals: William Deering and Sons 51
Five. The Heir: Cyrus Hall McCormick, Jr. 62
Six. The Formation of the International Harvester Company 72
Seven. International Harvester Expands Abroad 90
Eight. The Middle Son: Harold Fowler McCormick, Sr. 105
Nine. The Grandsons: Cyrus McCormick III and Harold Fowler McCormick, Jr. 132
Ten. Brooks McCormick: The Last McCormick as Chief Executive Officer 148
Eleven. The Collectors 160
Twelve. Madness 168
Thirteen. Ambassadors and Politicians 181
Fourteen. Robert Rutherford McCormick and His Chicago Tribune 187
Fifteen. Edifices 204
Sixteen. Successors to International Harvester; Case IH and Navistar 222
Chapter Notes 227
Bibliography 239
Index 243