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The Colonel: The Life and Legend of Robert R. McCormick, 1880-1955
This is the acclaimed biography of a giant of American journalism. As editor-publisher of the Chicago Tribune, Robert R. McCormick came to personify his city. Drawing on McCormick's personal papers and years of research, Richard Norton Smith has written the definitive life of the towering figure known as The Colonel.
640 pages, Paperback
First published February 19, 2003
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About the author
Richard Norton Smith
31 books51 followersRichard Norton Smith is an American historian and author, specializing in U.S. presidents and other political figures. In the past, he worked as a freelance writer for The Washington Post, and worked with U.S. Senators Edward Brooke and Bob Dole.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 16, 2020
Robert McCormick, known as the Colonel thanks to his rank during WWI, is a fairly difficult guy to like. Reactionary, isolationist, often right-wing, aristocratic, chauvinist, and dictatorial are some of the words that come to mind upon completing this biography written by Richard Norton Smith. McCormick inherited control of the Chicago Tribune shortly before WWI from his family. Smith begins the narrative way earlier than that though, tracing the rise of the newspaper along with McCormick's grandfather Joseph Medill.
Smith occasionally makes an error, such as the one on page 32 where he writes about Medill begin too busy to attend his daughter Kate's (McCormick's mean mother) graduation from St. Mary's in 1869, yet two pages earlier he wrote about Medill being elected for his only term as Mayor of Chicago in 1871. Smith is a good writer though, and through the book his prose shows. An example from page 354: “Toward Roosevelt, McCormick continued to harbor feelings as raw as meat in a butcher's window.” Lines such as that help the reader understand the intense feelings that McCormick had for, well, almost everyone.
McCormick, while born to wealth, also seemed a prisoner of it – remaining at least partially dependent on an allowance from his mother well into adulthood. Smith spends a lot of time analyzing the dysfunctional relationship between Kate and the Colonel. It is quite clear from existing correspondence that she didn't like him and openly favored her older son, named Medill (as if that was not confusing!) over “Bert” until just about the end of her life. At times, Smith seems to revert a bit too much into psychoanalysis for my liking. Nonetheless, he made his point that the absence of motherly love significantly damaged McCormick for life, and probably helped shape his difficult personality. When McCormick finally did marry, it was to a much older woman, whom he almost stole away from her own husband. McCormick would do this twice in his life: both his wives were married when he began affairs with them, and he in essence bought off their financially struggling husbands to get them out of the way.
McCormick was often a tyrant to people, and in general quite domineering. He was loyal to people who were loyal to him (when WWII happened, he promised to hold jobs open for any Tribune employees who were serving, and he made good on his promise when they returned after the War was over, despite his own strong antipathy to U.S. involvement). He ran the newspaper and his Canadian paper mill operations like fiefdoms, and expected total obeisance. He was a vehement critic of Franklin Roosevelt (on the day that FDR died in 1945, McCormick made a rare appearance in the Tribune newsroom to hand out $10 bills to workers; think about that for a second). But he never really seemed happy with hardly anyone, attacking Herbert Hoover, Wendell Willkie, Thomas Dewey, and Dwight Eisenhower in succession. So, yes, he was a Republican, but he hardly adhered to party loyalty.
This is the third book of Smith's that I have read, following books about Thomas Dewey and Nelson Rockefeller. I enjoyed both of them, especially the Rockefeller book which I consider to be one of the best biographies I have ever read. This book, while certainly good, did not reach that same level for me. Smith did not delve into what regular Tribune employees thought of McCormick, or just how influential his newspaper was in the Midwest and beyond. What did most Chicagoans think of the paper? Did they believe the acerbic editorials, or take them at face value? The Tribune was, and still is, the dominant newspaper in Chicago. I subscribed to it and/or read it frequently both before and while I lived there. But I did not often read the editorials, and when I did I typically did not agree with them. So did people feel similar when McCormick was running the paper? Smith does not tell us. Also, the book ends with the Colonel's death in 1955, with no epilogue to tell the reader what happened to the Tribune, how his estate was divided up, and was it contentious among Tribune executives and his second wife, Maryland. This despite Smith spending much of the last chapter on the Colonel's efforts to get his estate in order and attempt to pick out a successor to run the paper. Had Smith gone into that some of these issues, I think I would have liked the book more than I did.
Grade: B-
Smith occasionally makes an error, such as the one on page 32 where he writes about Medill begin too busy to attend his daughter Kate's (McCormick's mean mother) graduation from St. Mary's in 1869, yet two pages earlier he wrote about Medill being elected for his only term as Mayor of Chicago in 1871. Smith is a good writer though, and through the book his prose shows. An example from page 354: “Toward Roosevelt, McCormick continued to harbor feelings as raw as meat in a butcher's window.” Lines such as that help the reader understand the intense feelings that McCormick had for, well, almost everyone.
McCormick, while born to wealth, also seemed a prisoner of it – remaining at least partially dependent on an allowance from his mother well into adulthood. Smith spends a lot of time analyzing the dysfunctional relationship between Kate and the Colonel. It is quite clear from existing correspondence that she didn't like him and openly favored her older son, named Medill (as if that was not confusing!) over “Bert” until just about the end of her life. At times, Smith seems to revert a bit too much into psychoanalysis for my liking. Nonetheless, he made his point that the absence of motherly love significantly damaged McCormick for life, and probably helped shape his difficult personality. When McCormick finally did marry, it was to a much older woman, whom he almost stole away from her own husband. McCormick would do this twice in his life: both his wives were married when he began affairs with them, and he in essence bought off their financially struggling husbands to get them out of the way.
McCormick was often a tyrant to people, and in general quite domineering. He was loyal to people who were loyal to him (when WWII happened, he promised to hold jobs open for any Tribune employees who were serving, and he made good on his promise when they returned after the War was over, despite his own strong antipathy to U.S. involvement). He ran the newspaper and his Canadian paper mill operations like fiefdoms, and expected total obeisance. He was a vehement critic of Franklin Roosevelt (on the day that FDR died in 1945, McCormick made a rare appearance in the Tribune newsroom to hand out $10 bills to workers; think about that for a second). But he never really seemed happy with hardly anyone, attacking Herbert Hoover, Wendell Willkie, Thomas Dewey, and Dwight Eisenhower in succession. So, yes, he was a Republican, but he hardly adhered to party loyalty.
This is the third book of Smith's that I have read, following books about Thomas Dewey and Nelson Rockefeller. I enjoyed both of them, especially the Rockefeller book which I consider to be one of the best biographies I have ever read. This book, while certainly good, did not reach that same level for me. Smith did not delve into what regular Tribune employees thought of McCormick, or just how influential his newspaper was in the Midwest and beyond. What did most Chicagoans think of the paper? Did they believe the acerbic editorials, or take them at face value? The Tribune was, and still is, the dominant newspaper in Chicago. I subscribed to it and/or read it frequently both before and while I lived there. But I did not often read the editorials, and when I did I typically did not agree with them. So did people feel similar when McCormick was running the paper? Smith does not tell us. Also, the book ends with the Colonel's death in 1955, with no epilogue to tell the reader what happened to the Tribune, how his estate was divided up, and was it contentious among Tribune executives and his second wife, Maryland. This despite Smith spending much of the last chapter on the Colonel's efforts to get his estate in order and attempt to pick out a successor to run the paper. Had Smith gone into that some of these issues, I think I would have liked the book more than I did.
Grade: B-
April 1, 2014
This book has been sitting on my shelf for several years now and passed over at least a half dozen times as I considered my next “read”. Granted McCormick is a major figure in Chicago history – owner/editor of The Chicago Tribune during the first half of the 20th Century - but my rationale in avoiding this bio was simple – I really didn’t think this book, because of its subject – a “press-mogul” - would be that interesting. I could not have been more mistaken. The Colonel is engaging, fascinating, and well-written; full of historical tidbits and personalities, anecdotes, dramatic Citizen Kane moments, as well as laugh out loud moments - Because love or hate “The Colonel” – he was never boring.
In hindsight my knowledge of McCormick was at best limited, i.e. staunch Republican, isolationist, anti-New Deal/FDR. There is so much more to McCormick’s life and that’s what makes this book absolutely fascinating – starting with the fact McCormick was Joseph Medill’s grandson. During the second half of the 19th Century Grandpa Medill occupied the same position, made similar boasts and stepped on almost as many toes as the Colonel.
As the author points out in his Prologue, (and chronicles in the book), McCormick was a man of startling contradictions – a patriot that seemed to find fault with every move his country, (read politicians), made; a man proud of his time as a soldier, (i.e. “the Colonel”), who hated the military; an isolationist and Anglophobe, he had no problem traveling the world or chumming around with Winston Churchill; judgmental with others’ matrimonial habits, the Colonel had no issues with wooing two women away from their husbands.
I am just scratching the surface here concerning the man, the “world’s greatest newspaper”, and this biography. Fascinating read and highly recommended.
In hindsight my knowledge of McCormick was at best limited, i.e. staunch Republican, isolationist, anti-New Deal/FDR. There is so much more to McCormick’s life and that’s what makes this book absolutely fascinating – starting with the fact McCormick was Joseph Medill’s grandson. During the second half of the 19th Century Grandpa Medill occupied the same position, made similar boasts and stepped on almost as many toes as the Colonel.
As the author points out in his Prologue, (and chronicles in the book), McCormick was a man of startling contradictions – a patriot that seemed to find fault with every move his country, (read politicians), made; a man proud of his time as a soldier, (i.e. “the Colonel”), who hated the military; an isolationist and Anglophobe, he had no problem traveling the world or chumming around with Winston Churchill; judgmental with others’ matrimonial habits, the Colonel had no issues with wooing two women away from their husbands.
I am just scratching the surface here concerning the man, the “world’s greatest newspaper”, and this biography. Fascinating read and highly recommended.
November 15, 2012
I had wanted to take on a Richard Norton Smith work, and this was a good one I think to introduce me to his approach. The Colonel has intrigued me because of my general ignorance about the rise of the Chicago Tribune. McCormick was a crazy oddity, very solipsistic in his self-centeredness. A hard core right winger, sympathetic even to Joseph McCarthy. But one has to respect his "get it done" tenacity.
I also feel like I got to know the city of Chicago a bit better. I certainly better understand the McCormick Foundation's affiliation with the press and military better than I did.
I also feel like I got to know the city of Chicago a bit better. I certainly better understand the McCormick Foundation's affiliation with the press and military better than I did.
June 18, 2009
Another biography.... Europe extends to the Alleghenies, America lies beyond. What a complicated man this McCormick was! Just visit the Tribune Tower in Chicago and you'll get some sense of it. McCormick isn't the most easy-going character and he has this big dog which likes to chew on the shoes of visitors to his office. Most people don't have the nerve to kick the dog away, but it turns out the Colonel likes the ones who stick up for their shoes! Great read.
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February 14, 2016reviewed by Amanda Smith author of "newspaper titan: the infamous life and monumental times of Cissy Patterson." 4-22-2012
Currently reading
May 7, 2009As his media empire crumbles, seems appropriate to read a bio of this glorious bastard.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews