Washington J. McCormick, Jr., Papers

Washington J. McCormick, Jr., Papers, 1899-1957

Overview of the Collection

Creator: McCormick, Washington J. (Washington Jay), 1884-1949
Title: Washington J. McCormick, Jr., Papers
Dates: 1899-1957 (inclusive)
18991957
Quantity: 2 reels of microfilm and 0.8 linear feet
Collection Number: Mss 117
Summary: This collection consists of the correspondence, short stories, newsclippings, and family genealogy of Washington J. McCormick, Jr. of Missoula, Montana. McCormick was a lawyer and U.S. Representative born in 1884.
Repository: University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions: Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana--Missoula.
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Washington J. McCormick, Jr. was born in Missoula, Montana in 1884. He became an influential attorney and politician. He attended public schools in Missoula, as well as the University of Montana. McCormick continued his education at Notre Dame and Harvard, and received his J.D. degree from Columbia University in New York City.

Washington McCormick, Jr. established his first law practice in Missoula, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. His political ambitions took him to Helena, Montana, and Washington, D.C. for short periods. In 1917, McCormick was drafted to serve in World War I and reported to Fort Winfield Scott in San Francisco, where he trained in coastal artillery defense. McCormick was in the Montana State Legislature from 1919 to 1921, followed by a term in the United States House of Representatives from 1921 to 1923. Besides working for the interests of his constituents, one of McCormick’s personal goals in Congress was the adoption of an official American language. He was drafted for World War II in 1942, at the age of 58.

Later in life McCormick used his vast knowledge of Montana history to write short stories about the people, culture, and politics of the region. Some were published in local newspapers, but the majority were intended for only friends and family. A group of his short stories was published around 1980 under the title Colors From An Old Montana Sluice Box by the Friends of the University of Montana Library. Always interested in preserving local history, McCormick allowed his family ranch at Fort Owen (Stevensville, Montana) to become a state park.

McCormick married Edna Fox in 1915 and they had three children, Angela, Camilla, and Washington McCormick III, who died at the age of 15 of influenza. Edna and Washington divorced and Edna later married J. C. Phillips. She died by suicide in August 1957. Washington McCormick Jr. married Cora Quast in June 1937. He died on March 7, 1949 in Missoula at the age of 65. Cora McCormick made efforts to publish his works posthumously.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection contains correspondence from Washington J. McCormick Jr. to Edna Fox, who became his wife in 1915. The majority of correspondence is from 1913 to 1919. Also included are documents from the last years of Washington McCormick, Jr.’s life, primarily consisting of his short stories. A few were published in newspapers, but many of these were simply read aloud at family gatherings. Also included in the collection are several pieces of correspondence between McCormick and his friends, newspaper clippings and an essay about the McCormick family genealogy.

The paper materials include the short stories published as Colors from an Old Sluice Box and filmed on microfilm as well as a few other stories, poems and a few factual stories about the Bitterroot and Flathead areas of Montana.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright status unknown.

Preferred Citation

Washington J. McCormick, Jr. Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana--Missoula.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in five series. The majority of the collection is on microfilm; paper materials are part of the second and fourth series:

Series I: Correspondence, 1899-1948

Subseries 1: Correspondence about McCormick's Writings, circa 1940-1948

Subseries 2: Correspondence, 1899-1919

Series II: Speeches and Writings, circa 1940-1948

Series III: Newspaper Clippings, 1932-1957

Series IV: Miscellaneous, circa 1910-1949

Series V: Biographical, undated

Custodial History

Custodial history of the original donation is unknown. Thula Weisel held the correspondence donated in 2021.

Acquisition Information

Microfilmed materials were loaned for filming by Camilla McCormick around 1976. In 2021 Thula McCormick Weisel and George F. Weisel III donated the correpondence in Series I, subseries 1 (primarily to Edna Fox McCormick). The donor and dates of donation of the other paper materials in the collection are unknown.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I: Correspondence, 1899-1948Return to Top

0.4 linear feet and microfilm frames

Container(s)	Description	Dates
	Subseries 1: Correspondence about McCormick's Writings These microfilm frames include three pieces of correspondence between McCormick and friends pertaining to his writings. Two of the three are letters requesting copies of specific stories.	Circa 1940-1948
	Subseries 2: Correspondence 0.4 linear feet This subseries contains personal correspondence. The content consists primarily of handwritten letters to his sweetheart, Edna Fox, who became his wife in 1915. McCormick likely met Edna Fox when she was attending the University of Montana. She graduated from there in 1910. After graduation Edna lived with her parents in Twin Bridges where her father owned the general mercantile store. The letters from 1913 to 1915 consist of romantic sentiments toward Fox, and of life updates relating to McCormick's career in politics and as a lawyer, his social life, and his travels around Montana (primarily to the Bitterroot Valley and Butte). There is a pause in McCormick's letters to Fox after their marriage in 1915, but the letters to his wife continued in 1917 when he travelled to the east coast for work, and once he reported for duty at Fort Winfield Scott in San Francisco during the World War I draft. There is another pause in the letters after November, 1917 when McCormick returned home to Missoula, Montana from San Francisco. The letters continue in January of 1919, when McCormick was working in Helena as a United States Representative. Correspondence in this subseries is arranged chronologically. Correspondence was removed from envelopes during processing.	1899-1919
Box/Folder
2 / 1	Correspondence to Senator Thomas H. Carter Letter requesting the senator’s recommendation for the Naval Academy. The back of the letter includes words of praise about the young McCormick from various influential businessmen in Missoula.	October 12, 1899
2 / 2	Edna Fox Correspondence to Washington J. McCormick, Jr.	August 25, 1913 -
2 / 3	Correspondence to Edna	March 10, 1913 - October 10, 1913
2 / 4	Correspondence to Edna	October 18, 1913 - May 22, 1914
2 / 5	Correspondence to Edna	June 2, 1914 - December 25, 1914
2 / 6	Correspondence to Edna	January 1, 1915 - June 15, 1915
2 / 7	Correspondence to Edna A small dried flower was included in the envelope of the letter dated August 15.	June 20, 1915 - August 25, 1915
2 / 8	Correspondence to Edna	August 25, 1915 - September 8, 1915
2 / 9	Correspondence to Edna	September 9, 1915 - September 17, 1915
2 / 10	Correspondence to His Brother, William W. McCormick	July 13, 1917
2 / 11	Correspondence to Edna	July 4, 1917 - July 16, 1917
2 / 12	Correspondence to Edna	July 16, 1917 - September 16, 1917
2 / 13	Correspondence to Edna	September 18, 1917 - October 8, 1917
2 / 14	Correspondence to His Mother, Kate Higgins McCormick	October 21, 1917
2 / 15	Correspondence to Edna	October 10, 1917 - November 11, 1917
2 / 16	Correspondence to Edna	November 17, 1917 - February 25, 1919

Series II: Speeches and Writings, Circa 1940-1948Return to Top

The microfilm part of this series consists of sixteen short stories written by Washington McCormick, Jr. The last seven of these are grouped together under the title Colors from an Old Sluice Box.

The original (paper) materials include the short stories published as Colors from an Old Sluice Box as well as other stories, poems and a few factual stories about the Bitterroot and Flathead areas of Montana. The original (paper) materials in this collection have been described (listed) at the folder level.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1/1	"Government by the People"	undated
1/2	"In the Bag"	undated
1/3	"Peter Mansolf"	undated
1/4	"Colonel Sanders Salutes the Missourians"	undated
1/5	"Back to the Woods"	undated
1/6	"We Point with Pride"	undated
1/7	"A Hot Afternoon in Montana"	undated
1/8	"The Masquerade"	undated
1/9	"A Sixty Mile Horserace on a Circular Track"	undated
1/10	"'Bummer' Dan's Riposte"	undated
1/11	"Up Against It"	undated
1/12	"Pawns of Life"	undated
1/13	"Simpy's Debut"	undated
1/14	"Colors from an Old Montana Sluice Box"	undated
1/15	Draft of "Colors from an Old Montana Sluice Box" with foreward by Arthur Deschamps	circa 1980
1/16	"Colors from an Old Montana Sluice Box"	undated
1/17	"Unhitched Wagon"	undated
1/18	"Unhitched Wagon" and other stories	undated
1/19	Collected poems	undated
1/20	Short stories and poems	undated
1/21	"Bitter Root Picnic"	undated
1/22	"Historical Monuments of the Bitter Root Valley, Montana"	undated
1/23	"The Bitter Root Valley"	undated
1/24	Flathead Reservation	undated
1/25	Fragments	undated

Series III: Newspaper Clippings, 1932-1957Return to Top

These microfilm frames include newspaper clippings that relate to Washington McCormick, Jr. One of these, published in 1957, discusses the transfer of McCormick’s Fort Owen ranch property to the State of Montana for preservation.

Series IV: Miscellaneous, 1910-1949Return to Top

Includes Washington McCormick, Jr.'s law school degree from Columbia College and his certifactes to practice law in New York and Montana. This series also contains microfilm frames pertaining to McCormick Jr.’s death. A register signed by all who attended his funeral is in the collection, as well as notes from the Montana Bar Association’s tribute. A limited amount of financial information is also included.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Folder
OS 3	Law School and State Bar Certificates	1910-1922

Series V: Biographical, undatedReturn to Top

These microfilm frames include an essay by an unknown author about the history of the family name McCormick. It details the genealogy of the family for several centuries, and provides brief biographies for the family’s more noteworthy members.

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