Colonel Robert Rutherford McCormick, A Soldier's Story
Colonel Robert Rutherford McCormick, A Soldier's Story
Back home, he attended Groton School and later Yale University, where he was inducted into the Scroll and Key Society. After graduating in 1903, McCormick pursued legal studies at Northwestern University School of Law and passed the bar in 1907. Even before completing his formal education, he showed an intense interest in civic life. By his mid-twenties, he had served as a Chicago alderman and held appointments on both the Chicago Permanent Charter Commission and the Chicago Plan Commission, placing him squarely in the machinery of urban governance.
In 1908, McCormick co-founded the law firm Kirkland & Ellis. Two years later, following the death of his grandfather and his older brother's abdication, he assumed control of the Chicago Tribune, a role that would define his public identity for the rest of his life.
Despite his influence and wealth, McCormick did not remain on the sidelines as war loomed in Europe. In February 1915, he traveled overseas as a war correspondent, gaining firsthand exposure to modern conflict. His military service formally began on June 21, 1916, when he joined the Illinois National Guard. Within days, he was dispatched to the Mexican border during the unrest following Pancho Villa’s raids.
When the Illinois Guard was absorbed into the U.S. Army on June 13, 1917, McCormick deployed to France with the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. He initially served as an intelligence officer on General John J. Pershing’s staff but soon requested a more demanding assignment. After brief artillery training, he joined the 5th Field Artillery Regiment and saw combat in some of the war’s most significant engagements, including Cantigny, Soissons, Saint-Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
McCormick left active service on December 13, 1918, though he remained in the Army Reserves until his retirement in 1929. Upon returning home, he resumed leadership of the Chicago Tribune, using it as a powerful platform for his staunch Republican views. He became one of the most vocal opponents of the New Deal and American involvement in World War II, shaping public discourse through the press as decisively as he once had through artillery fire.
Beyond journalism and politics, McCormick was deeply involved in industrial and civic ventures. He founded the Canadian town of Baie-Comeau in Quebec, building a hydroelectric dam and paper mill to support newsprint production. He also owned WGN radio and briefly controlled the Washington Herald.
Physically imposing at 6 feet 4 inches tall, McCormick remained active throughout his life, riding horseback and playing polo well into old age. When he died on April 1, 1955, he was still able to fit into his World War I uniform, a uniform he chose to be buried in.
Colonel Robert Rutherford McCormick rests at his estate, Cantigny, a name drawn from the first American victory of World War I, one that mirrored both his military service and his lifelong belief in national resolve.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
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