Richard P. McCormick (1916-2006

Class of 1933), historian and professor, who was president of the New Jersey Historical Society.[76]

What is Richard P. McCormick (1916-2006 known for?

Richard Patrick McCormick was born in Ridgewood, New York, the U.S. on December 24, 1916, and later moved with his family to Tenafly, New Jersey. A notable alumnus of Tenafly High School from the class of 1933, McCormick was recognized globally for his extensive knowledge of New Jersey's history and early American political history. His path toward higher education started with the encouragement of a typing teacher during his senior year.

Completing his education, McCormick earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Rutgers College, Rutgers University in 1938, and a Master of Arts from the same institution in 1940. He was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa during his undergraduate years. McCormick later earned his Ph.D. in 1948 from the University of Pennsylvania where his dissertation, 'Experiment in Independence: New Jersey in the Critical Period, 1781-1789,' became his first monograph.

McCormick began teaching history at Rutgers University in 1945. He was the chair of the Rutgers College history department from 1966 to 1969 and served as the dean from 1974 to 1977. He was also notably involved in addressing issues raised by African-American students at Rutgers and in facilitating coeducation at Rutgers College. McCormick retired from teaching in 1982 but remained active in historical organizations, contributing to the establishment of the New Jersey Historical Commission, the New Jersey State Historical Records Advisory Board, and the New Jersey Tercentenary Commission.

In his lifetime, McCormick authored notable books such as 'The Second American Party System: Party Formations in the Jacksonian Era' and 'Rutgers: A Bicentennial History,' both of which received the biennial book prize from the American Association for State and Local History in 1965 and 1968 respectively. He was also recognized with the Award for Scholarly Distinction from the American Historical Association in 2002.

McCormick, a former resident of Piscataway, New Jersey, spent his final years with his wife in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey. He passed away on January 16, 2006, at the age of 89 after a prolonged illness. McCormick was the father of two children, one of whom is Richard Levis McCormick, the 19th president of Rutgers University, with whom he taught a history course on American political history.

Richard P. McCormick's notable works include a doctoral dissertation-turned-monograph, 'Experiment in Independence: New Jersey in the Critical Period, 1781-1789.'