Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/127

 MacCORKLE

Mccormick

Arizona. In 1895 he was appointed by Governor Hughes Republican member of the territorial board of control and went out of ofRce on Gov- ernor Hughes's retirement. In May, 1897, he was appointed by President McKinley territorial governor of Arizona as successor to Benjamin J. Franklin. In April, 1898, he recruited a regiment of volunteer infantry in the four territories for service in the war with Spain, and upon being elected colonel of the regiment he resigned as governor to serve in the field. In 1900 he be- came proprietor and manager of the Arizona Daily Gazette at Phoenix.

MacCORKLE, William Alexander, governor of West Virginia, was born in Rockbridge county, Va., May 7, 1857 ; son of William and Mary (Mor- rison) MacCorkle and grandson of Alexander and Rebecca (McNutt) MacCorkle, and of William and Margaret Morrison. His ancestor emigrated from Scotland in 1650. His great grandfathers, Capt. John MacCorkle and Capt. John McNutt, were killed in the battle of Cowpens during the Revolutionary war. The family settled in Rock- bridge county, Va. William attended a private school and was graduated from Washington and Lee university in 1879. He was married, Oct. 19, 1881, to Isabelle Goshorn. He was city solic- itor of Charleston for eight years, and was chosen governor of West Virginia in November, 1892, and held this office imtil March 4, 1897. The de- gree of LL.D. was conferred on him by the Uni- versity of West Virginia in 1893. He published a number of addresses, speeches and discussions. Mccormick, Alexander Hugh, naval officer, was born in the District of Columbia, May 9, 1842 ; son of Alexander and Eliza (Van Horn) McCor-

mick ; grandson of Alexander and (Quirk)

McCormick and of William and Alethea (Beall)

Van Horn. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval academy from Texas in 1859, and was ordered into active service in April, 1861. He was attached to the Quaker City and served in the Chesa- peake bay blockade, June to September, 1861 ; on the receiv- ing-ship North Caro- lina, October to De- cember, 1861, and on the steamer Nor- wich of the South Atlantic blockading squadron from January, 1862, to April, 1863. He was ap- pointed a volunteer acting master in April, 1862 ; participated in the bombardment of Fort Pulaski VII. — 8

and of the fort in Winyaw Bay, S.C., in 1862, and was promoted ensign, Dec. 22, 1862. He took part in the second occupation of Jacksonville. Fla., in 1863; served on the Housatonic otf Charleston, S.C, April to July, 1863 ; on the Wa- bash, July to September, 1863, and was promoted lieutenant, Feb. 22, 1864. He served on the steam sloop Iroquois on special service from March, 1864, to October, 1865 ; on the Chattanooga. Feb- ruary to August, 1866, and was promoted lieuten- ant-commander, July 25, 1866. He was instructor in mathematics at the U.S. Naval academy, 1866- 69 ; attached to the Macedonian, June to Sep- tember, 1867 ; to the flagship Lancaster on the east coast of South America, 1869-72, and to the Portsmouth, July to September, 1872. He was an instructor in astronomy and navigation at the U.S. Naval academy, 1872-75 ; cruised on the steamer Fortune, July to September, 1773, and was attached to the Pensacola, flagship of the Pacific station, 1875-76. He was promoted com- mander, Sept. 30, 1876 ; served on duty in the bureau of ordnance at Washington, D.C., 1877- 81 ; commanded the Essex in a cruise around the world, 1881-85 ; was inspector of ordnance at the navy yard, Washington, D.C., 1885-88, and on duty in the bureau of ordnance at Washington, 1888-89. He was inspector of ordnance at the navy yard, Brooklyn, N.Y., 1889-92; was pro- moted captain, April 3, 1892 ; commanded the Lancaster on the Asiatic station, 1892-94; was captain of the Norfolk navy yard, 1894-97 ; com- manded the battle-ship Oregon in the winter of 1898, and commanded the navy yard at Washing- ton, D.C., from Oct. 17, 1898, to March 26, 1900. He was promoted rear-admiral Sept. 9, 1899, and was retired after forty years' service, March 26, 1900.

McCORMlCK, Cyrus Hall, inventor, was born in W^alnut Grove, Rockbridge county, Va., Feb. 15, 1809 ; son of Robert and Mary McChesney (Hall) McCormick. He attended the public schools and was employed on his father's farm and in his workshop. His father had invented various labor-saving farm devices, including a grain-cutting machine in 1809, which he improved from time to time, adding the vibrating sickle and horizontal reel in 1828-29, and in 1831 it worked moderately well. Cyrus, then twenty- two years of age, added to and perfected some details in the machine and secured a patent in 1834. He became interested in an iron furnace in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1836, and during the panic of 1837 failed. He then returned to Walnut Grove, where he assisted his father in manufac- turing the reapers, and travelled extensively among the farmers soliciting orders. After his father's death in 1846 he secured further patents on various improvements on the reaper, notably