Cyrus H. McCormick (1809-1884) was an industrialist and inventor of the first commercially successful reaper, a horse-drawn machine to harvest wheat. He patented the invention in 1834. In 1847 he moved to Chicago and formed what eventually became known as the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. There, McCormick developed innovative marketing and distribution techniques that helped make his company a success. He also benefited from the growth of Chicago as an industrial center and rail hub. By 1858 the company was the largest farm equipment manufacturer in the United States, with assets totaling more than 1 million dollars. Ready the full Cyrus McCormick biography on our website.

Learn more about the McCormick family and the International Harvester Company by reading these suggested books.

Books About the McCormick Family

• "Cyrus Hall McCormick", Vols. I & II by William T. Hutchinson, D. Appleton-Century Co., New York, 1935. The most authoritative and objective biography of Cyrus Hall McCormick.
• "Nettie Fowler McCormick" by Stella Virginia Roderick, Richard R. Smith Publisher, Inc., Rindge, NH, 1956.  Roderick, a former magazine editor, was hired by the McCormick family in the 1930s to serve as "secretary" of the "Nettie Fowler McCormick Biographical Association."  In this capacity she compiled Mrs. McCormick's papers and wrote this biography.
• "A Timeless Affair: the Life of Anita McCormick Blaine" by Gilbert A. Harrison, University of Chicago Press, 1979.  Harrison was an editor of the New Republic and Anita McCormick Blaine's grandson-in-law.

Books About the International Harvester Company

• "A Century of Labor-Management Relations at McCormick and International Harvester" by Robert W. Ozanne, University of Wisconsin Press, 1967
• "A Corporate Tragedy: The Agony of International Harvester Company" by Barbara Marsh, Doubleday, 1985.  The most detailed business history of International Harvester available.
• "American Enterprise in Foreign Markets: Singer and International Harvester in Imperial Russia" by Fred V. Carstensen, University of North Carolina Press, 1984.  Includes discussion of foreign business of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. 
• "Wages in Practice and Theory; McCormick and International Harvester, 1860-1960" by Robert W. Ozanne, University of Wisconsin Press, 1968

Books about International Harvester Machinery

• "150 Years of International Harvester" by C.H. Wendel, Crestline Publishing, Sarasota, Florida, 1981. Black-and-white photographic history of the International Harvester product line. Includes a brief narrative history of the company. 
• "Farmall Letter Series Tractors" Originality Guide" by Guy Fay and Andy Kraushaar, Motorbooks International, 1998. A guide to restoration of Farmall Letter Series tractors. Includes decal placement diagrams.
• "Farmall Tractors" by Lee Klancher, Motorbooks International, Osceola, Wisconsin, 1995. A color photo gallery highlighting the history of International Harvester's most popular tractors.
• "Iconographix Photo Archive Series: Photographs from the McCormick-International Harvester Company Collection", edited with introduction by P.A. Letourneau. Six titles in the series cover IHC tractors: Farmall Regular, Farmall F-Series, Farmall H, Farmall M, Tractractors and Farmall Super Series.
• "International Harvester Farm Equipment: Product History 1831-1985", by Ralph Baumheckel and Kent Borghoff, American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 1997. A history of International Harvester's agricultural equipment line illustrated with black-and-white and color photographs. Includes a concise narrative history of the company.  
• "International Harvester Experimental and Prototype Tractors" by Guy Fay, Motorbooks International, 1997. A detailed history of experimental and prototype tractors illustrated with patent drawings and photographs.
• "International Harvester Tractor Data Book" by Guy Fay, Motorbooks International, 1997. Comprehensive guide to specifications, serial numbers and production of International Harvester tractors through the 1950s.

Have Questions?

Contact the McCormick Reference Line by phone at 608-264-6410 or by email below:

askmccormick@wisconsinhistory.org