Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/130

 Mccormick

McCOSH

plements. In 1809 he constructed the first grain- cutting machine ever devised, which was im- proved, first by liimself, then by his sons, Cyrus Hall and Leander J., and all the improvements were patented by his son Cyrus Hall, in 1834. He engaged with his sons, Cyrus Hall, William S. and Leander J., in manufacturing these ma- chines, out of which grew the McCormick Har- vesting Machine manufactory in Chicago, 111. His other labor-saving inventions include a hemp- breaking machine, a machine for cleaning hemp, a number of successful threshing machines, a blacksmith's bellows and a machine to supply power by putting w^ater under pressure. This last was abandoned for lack of machinery for use in its construction. He was a student of classical literature and of science, especially of astronomy. He was married to Mary McCliesney, daughter of Patrick Hall, a quartermaster in the war of 1812. He died at Walnut Grove, Va., July 4, 1846.

McCORMICKt Samuel Black, educator, was born in Irwin, Westmoreland county, Pa., May 6, 18.58 ; son of Dr. James I. and Rachel Long (Black) McCormick, and grandson of John and Esther (Sowash) McCormick, and of Samuel and Jane (Mansi)erger) Black. He was instructed at home by his father and was graduated from Washington and Jefferson college, A.B., 1880, A.M., 1883. He was married Sept. 29, 1882, to Ida May, daughter of William Steep of Washing- ton, Pa. He was a teacher at Jefferson academy, 1880-81, and at Washington and Jefferson college, 1881-82; studied law with H. H. McCorn.ick, Pittsburg. Pa., 1882-83, and practised there, 1882- 83, and at Denver, Col., 1883-87; was a student at Western Theological seminary, 1887-90, was licensed to preach, April 24, 1889, and pastor of the Central Presbyterian church at Allegheny, Pa., 1890-94, and of the First Presbyterian church, Omaha, Nebraska, 1894-97. He was elected pres- ident of Coe college, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1897. The honorary degree of D.D. was conferred on him by Washington and Jefferson college, in 1897.

McCORVEY, Thomas Chalmers, educator, was born in Monroe county, Ala., Aug. 18, 1851 ; son of Murdock and Lydia (Ranaldson) McCorvey, and grandson of John and Barbara (McMillan) McCorvey, and of Drury Allen and Mary (Single- tary) Riinaldson. His paternal grandimrents were both born in Kintyre, Scotland, and while they were very young their parents immigrated to Robeson county. North Carolina, about 1783. His Ranaldson ancestors fought for the young Pretender at Culloden, and immigrated to what is now Cumberland county, N.C., about 1747. He was prepared for college at the Monroeville academy, Alabama, studied at Erskine college. South Carolina, 1870-71, and was graduated at

the University of Alabama, Ph.B., 1873, LL.B., 1874, A.M., 1878. He was elected commandant of cadets in the University of Alabama in 1873, and in 1888 was made professor of history and political economy there. He was married, July 22, 1880, toNetta L., daughter of Henry and Julia (Ashe) Tutwiler at Greene Springs, Ala. He was appointed by President Cleveland a member of the board of visitors to the U. S. Military academy in 1886. He was elected a member of the Amer ican Academy of Social and Political Science, and in 1895 a member of the American Historical association. He is the author of : The Govern- ment of the People of the State of Alabama (1895), and of literary, political and historical articles contributed to newspapers and magazines.

McCOSH, James, educator, was born on the bank of the river Doon, near the village of Patna, Scotland, April 1, 1811. His father was an exten- sive farmer. He attended the parish school, studied at the University of Glasgow, 1824-29, and took a course in theology at the Uni- versity of Edinburgh, 1829-34. He received the honorary degree of A.M. from the University of Edin- burgh in 1835, for an essay on "Tiie Stoic Philosophy." He was licensed to preach in 1834 ; was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in 1835, and was pastor of the Abbey church at Arbroath, 1835-38.

In 1838 he was appointed by the crown pastor of the Presbyterian church at Brechin, and minis- tered to over 1,400 communicants until the dis- ruption of the church in 1843, when he joined the Free Church party. In 1843 and 1844 he was a member of a deputation appointed by the General Assembly to visit England and enlist non-con- formist interest for the Free Church. He was married at Brechin in 1845 to Isabella Guthrie, daughter of James Guthrie, M.D., and niece of Tliomas Guthrie, the celebrated Edinburgh divine. He took an active interest in the establishing of churches in the shires of Forfar and Kincardine. He was appointed professor of logic and meta- physics in Queen's college, Belfast, Ireland, in 1852, by the Earl of Clarendon, at that time lord lieutenant of Ireland, and filled that office until 1868, becoming famous as a lecturer. He was for a part of that time an examiner in ethics for the Queen's University of Ireland as member of the board which organized the system of competition

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