IRISH-AMERICAN-L Archives

From: "Jean R." <>
Subject: [IRISH-AMER] Cyrus Hall McCORMICK (1809-1884) -- "McCormick Reaper"
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 10:06:29 -0700

SNIPPET: The McCormick reaper, perhaps more than any other invention in the
19th century played a key role in the transformation of America from a rural
nation into the world's premier industrial powerhouse. It caused a boom in
agricultural production while freeing up millions of potential industrial
laborers who would otherwise have stayed tied to the land.

Cyrus Hall McCORMICK was born on a farm Walnut Grove, VA, in 1809, the son
of Robert McCORMICK, who owned businesses to include a sawmill, a
distillery, and two grain mills. The senior McCORMICK was an inventor who
had patented several devices and had tinkered with different versions of a
reaper. McCORMICK's reaper was first demonstrated in 1831 through public
exhibitions at county fairs and an improved model was patented three years
later.

At the age of 38, with sixty dollars in his pocket, Cyrus McCORMICK went to
Chicago and set up his own factory to manufacturer reapers. With a
determination to succeed, McCORMICK established the superiority of his
machines. He made his company a leader through years of court actions and
purchasing others' patent rights and through skillful marketing and
innovative policies such as allowing farmers to buy on credit and offering a
money-back guarantee.

The McCORMICK's reaper became the most popular type in the country. Sales
increased from 75 machines in 1846 to 1,500 in 1849, to more than 4,100 in
1859. In 1902, the McCORMICK holdings were merged into the International
Harvester Company.

McCORMICK's reaping machines have stood as a symbol of the mechanical
revolution in agriculture. While not particularly a brilliant or original
device (other men had developed all the main features) McCORMICK's reaper
came at a time when the rich prairie wheatlands of the U. S. were ready for
development, if means could be found, to harvest huge crops. There had also
been a shortage of farmhands to do the harvesting, so a substitute for
manpower had to be found. The great stretches of flat, stoneless prairie
presented an ideal terrain for a mechanical reaper.

Cyrus Hall McCORMICK saw the need for this machine and made the most of it.
His drive and ability made him a millionaire before the age of 40.

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• [IRISH-AMER] Cyrus Hall McCORMICK (1809-1884) -- "McCormick Reaper" by "Jean R." <>