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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)
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
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Biographical Note

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.

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Content Description

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.

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Use of the Collection

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.

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Administrative Information

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.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Brendon Cechovic and Teresa Hamann (2000) and India Hite (2021).
2021

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