Mercer County PAGenWeb

James Mc Cord


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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