Samuel McCormack Biography


	This biography appears on page 1847 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	SAMUEL McCORMACK, of Armour, Douglas county, is a native of the 
Dominion of Canada, having been born in Nova Scotia. He received his 
educational training in his native province, and at St. Johns, New 
Brunswick, he served a thorough apprenticeship as a carpenter and 
builder. Upon coming to the United States he was employed for one year 
as a journeyman by a firm in the city of Boston, being still under 
instruction, as he desired to perfect himself in all details of his 
chosen vocation. Later he became a ship carpenter and as such sailed on 
a number of the large clipper ships, continuing to be thus employed for 
four years. He finally located in East Boston, whence he later removed 
to Chelsea, Massachusetts, where he remained until 1866, engaged in the 
work of his trade, and in that year he came west to Clayton county, 
Iowa, where he erected a number of the principal church edifices and 
other important buildings. After the great fire in the city of Chicago 
he went to that city and superintended the work of erecting six of the 
principal church buildings. Later he located in Webster City, Iowa, 
where he built the court house and several fine residences, and then 
came to Sioux Falls, Dakota, becoming one of the pioneer contractors 
and builders of Dakota territory, and retaining his home in that place 
until after the division of the territory and the admission of the two 
states into the Union. In Sioux Falls Mr. McCormack erected a large 
number of the principal buildings. In 1895 Mr. McCormack went to 
Kenton, Ohio, where he erected a fine private residence and the grammar 
school, the latter contract having been secured in the face of much 
active competition and opposition on the part of local contractors. In 
1900 he came to Armour, where he has since maintained his home, and in 
the spring of 1903 he was accorded the gratifying and important 
appointment of superintendent of construction of state buildings, said 
appointment coming through the state board of charities and 
corrections. A more judicious and merited appointment could not have 
been made, for the subject is thoroughly skilled in his chosen 
profession, to which he has devoted the major portion of his long and 
useful life, while his fidelity to contract, his knowledge of values 
and his inflexible integrity will insure to the state the best of 
service in the work assigned to his charge. In politics our subject is 
a Prohibitionist in principle, allegiance and practice, and his 
religious faith is that of the Congregational church. He is also 
identified with the Masonic fraternity.

	Mr. McCormack was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Hancock, of 
East Boston, Massachusetts, and they have had six children.