JAMES
MC CORD, major of La Crosse, [Wisconsin], and a prominent
business man of that city, was born in New Bedford, Lawrence county,
Pa., May 3rd, 1841. His father, Allen McCord, was born, and for many
years resided, in Greenville. Mercer county, Pa. He was a blacksmith by
trade, a merchant and a farmer. He owned a farm in Mahoning county,
Ohio, and was in good financial circumstances. He was a member of the
Presbyterian church, and of Scotch descent. James McCord's mother's
maiden name was Nancy Hezlep, a native of Wilmington, Pa., but of Irish
descent.
James McCord received his education in the common
schools and the academy at Poland, Ohio. After that he took a course in
the Iron City Commercial College, Pittsburg, and graduated
therefrom when about sixteen years of age. He came to Wisconsin in
1858, locating at Sparta, where he remained one summer, teaching school
during the day and keeping books in a bank mornings ad evenings. In the
fall he secured a position as book-keeper in a bank in Milwaukee, which
he held for several years. After that he was employed as book-keeper
for a wholesale drug house. In December, 1864, he removed to La Crosse,
and, in company with J. H. McCulloch and John Rice of Milwaukee, he
purchased the wholesale drug stock belonging to the estate of Uriah
Parry, Jr. A few years thereafter, Mr. Rice withdrew from the firm, and
, in 1882, Mr. McCulloch also retired, and since then Mr. McCord has
carried on the business alone.
Mr. McCord has uniformly been
identified with the Republican party, but is not a partisan extremist.
As a representative of that party, he held the office of alderman of
the city of La Crosse for six years. In the spring of 1897 he received
the Republican nomination for major of the city, and was elected by a
large majority over the Democratic and Populist candidates.
As a
citizen he has always manifested progressive and public-spirited
tendencies, and a high degree of civic pride in his adopted city, From
1874 to 1876 he was elected and successively re-elected president of
the La Crosse board of trade, and he now holds the office of president
of the Manufacturers' and the Jobbers' Union organizations, which have
contributed largely to the growth and prosperity of the city.
He
has always been identified with the Congregational church, though he is
not a member of it. He is now, and for many years has been, a member of
the board of trustees of the First Congregational society.
Mr.
McCord was married, in 1866, to Adaline Olivia Cogswell of New York
City. She died in 1876, leaving two children--Allan Cogswell McCord,
born September 29th, 1872, and Horace Maynard McCord.
Men of Progress, Wisconsin, by Aiken, Andrew J. Milwaukee, WI, 1897, pages 454-455
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