Cyrus McCormick - Legacy and Honors

Legacy and Honors

Cyrus McCormick's papers are held by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Numerous prizes and medals were awarded for his reaper, and he was elected a corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences "as having done more for the cause of agriculture than any other living man." The invention of the reaper reduced human labor on farms while increasing productivity. It contributed to the industrialization of agriculture and migration of labor to cities in numerous countries.

• A statue of McCormick was erected on the front campus of Washington and Lee University, at Lexington, Virginia.

• The town of McCormick, South Carolina and McCormick County in the state were named for him after he bought a gold mine in the town, formerly known as Dornsville.

• 1975, McCormick was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame.

• The city of Plano, Illinois has regarded itself as the "Birthplace of the Harvester", with the local High School having the mascot of the Reapers, and the school using an image of the McCormick Harvester Reaper for its logo. Cyrus McCormick actually tested his harvesters in Plano, as well as having a small manufacturing facility in Plano, leading to the city's eventual industrial beginnings.

• McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago was named after him. He had served as a member of the seminary's board of trustees.

• 3 Cent US Postage Stamps were issued in 1940 to commemorate Cyrus Hall McCormick. See Famous Americans Series of 1940.
• The government of France named him an Officier de la Légion d'honneur in 1851.