Washington J. McCormick explained

Washington J. McCormick
State1:Montana
District1:1st
Term Start1:March 4, 1921
Term End1:March 3, 1923
Predecessor1:John M. Evans
Successor1:John M. Evans
Office2:Member of the Montana House of Representatives
Term2:1918-1920
Party:Republican
Birth Date:4 January 1884
Birth Place:Missoula, Montana
Death Place:Missoula, Montana
Alma Mater:University of Montana
University of Notre Dame
Harvard University
Columbia University

Washington Jay McCormick, Jr. (January 4, 1884 – March 7, 1949) was a U.S. Representative from Montana.

Born in Missoula, Montana, McCormick attended the University of Montana and the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. He is named after his father, Washington J. McCormick, a prominent Missoula citizen.[1] He graduated from Harvard University in 1906 and from the law department of Columbia University, New York City, in 1910. He was admitted to the New York bar the same year. He returned to Missoula, Montana and admitted to the Montana bar in 1911, engaging in the practice of law. He served as member of the Montana House of Representatives from 1918 to 1920.

McCormick was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1921 - March 3, 1923), but was unsuccessful in his reelection bid in 1922 to the Sixty-eighth Congress. He continued the practice of law until his retirement, when he devoted his time to writing.

In 1923, a bill drafted by McCormick became the first proposed legislation regarding the United States' national language that would have made "American" the national language in order to differentiate the United States's language from that of England.[2] This bill did not pass in Congress despite significant support—especially from Irish immigrants who were resentful of British influence.[3]

McCormick allowed his family ranch at Fort Owen to become a state park.[4] He resided in the Bitter Root Valley, near Stevensville, Montana, until his death in Missoula, Montana, March 7, 1949.

He was interred in Missoula Cemetery.[5]

Notes and References

  1. http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv49593 Guide to the Washington J. McCormick Papers at the University of Montana
  2. Book: Rich. Alex. Vance. Noelle. English As A National Language: An Overview . Points of View: English As National Language. March 1, 2016.
  3. Web site: Milestones: 1866–1898 - Office of the Historian . 2022-03-21 . history.state.gov.
  4. http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv21566 Guide to the Washington J. McCormick, Jr. Papers at the University of Montana
  5. http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/mccormick.html Political Graveyard