McCormick, Margaret (1843-1867)

Title

McCormick, Margaret (1843-1867)

Contributor

Phillip, Emelda

birthday

1843-05-03

Birthplace

Rahway, NJ

Death Date

1867-04-30

Occupation

Civic Leader

Biographical Text

Margaret was an accomplished pianist and horsewoman. She was born to Caroline and Isaac Hunt in Rahway, NJ. When she was twenty-two, she traveled to San Francisco with her cousin to participate in the social season. On the steamship returning home is when she met Richard McCormick. Margaret wrote to her friend Emma describing this as love at first sight. Margaret moved to Arizona with her husband. She was very happy in her marriage and was a known entertainer. She threw lavish parties and became very well-liked by people. Margaret planted a rosebush beside the doorstep of the mansion. This became the inspiration for the Territorial Women's Memorial Rose Garden, established in 1948.

Margaret married Richard McCormick in 1865, only a few months after they met each other. She accompanied her husband on many of his trips, exploring landscapes and meeting people. Margaret tragically died in 1867 when she gave birth to a stillborn child. Her body, together with her infant daughter was buried near the Governor's Mansion but, in 1869 her husband took her remains to be reburied in Hazelwood Cemetery, near her childhood home.

Bibliography

135-Year-Old Courtship Comes Alive in Discovered Letters, Sharlot Hall Museum

MARGARET (HUNT) MCCORMICK, Sharlot Hall Museum