This is the story of the Deering family which became one of the richest families in the US during the first half of the Twentieth Century. It is the story of William Deering who risked his already substantial fortune by investing in a small company in Illinois which was manufacturing a reaper for the farming industry in America. Deering's business ability and his willingness to take on risk resulted in his being the sole owner of the Deering Harvesting Company. His company was second only to the largest farm equipment manufacturer, the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. The Deering family and the McCormick families, both located in the Chicago area, were major rivals and fierce competitors. In 1902 the J. P. Morgan organization was successful in merging the two, giant farm equipment manufactures into one company to be known as International Harvester. International Harvester became the fourth largest corporation in the US by 1909, and the Deering family owned approximately one-third of that company. You will see how the Deering family blended into management of this giant corporation, their accomplishments both within the company and most importantly their philanthropic and other endeavors. The story will be told of the huge mansions the Deerings built, the changing relationships between the McCormicks and the Deerings and the major philanthropic and charitable efforts they have and continue to support. When one learns the story of these two families, one also learns the story of the huge corporation named International Harvester. "The McCormicks of International Harvester" written by Ray Burhop, tells the story of the McCormick family. This book can be considered the companion to that book as it completes the story of the two families which were the catalyst and driving force in the creation of International Harvester Corporation.
About the Author: Ray Burhop was born in Chicago and is a graduate of the University of Illinois. He served for many years as a project engineer for a large manufacturing corporation and as a consultant for the packaging industry. He and his wife have resided in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Florida. His interest in American history led Ray to author his first book, "The Twenty Fourth Illinois Infantry Regiment" which is the true story of a Civil war regiment from Chicago. His grandfather's experience in the building and first voyage of the Titanic generated Ray's interest in this great ship and led Ray to become the Chief Docent for the Titanic exhibit during the nine months stay at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, Fl. Ray then became associated with Cracker Country, the living history museum at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, FL where he served as a tour guide, docent and "unofficial volunteer historian". The objective of this living history museum is to provide the public the experience of a Florida Cracker community of the period of 1890 to 1910. The railroad depot originally located at Okahumpka, Florida is a very dominate feature at Cracker Country and generates many questions about the depot and the town of Okahumpka. This led Ray to write his second book entitled "Okahumpka", The History of a Florida Cracker Community". Ray grew up on a farm in Northwest Illinois. His father's farm had an International Harvester model "A" and a model "H" tractor which yielded lifelong fond memories. One day in 2012, Ray visited Paquette's International Harvester Tractor Museum in Leesburg, Florida and saw two tractors just like the ones that were on his father's Oak Hill Farm in Cary, Illinois. Ray became a volunteer tour guide at the museum and eventually became the museum's historian. This led to Rays third book entitled, "The McCormicks of International Harvester", which is the true story of one of the two families responsible for the creation of the mega corporation named International Harvester. Rays next book was the story of an Immigrant, Civil War veteran, and Arizona pioneer. That book is titled "The Five Lives of Paul Vogel. Now Ray Burhop offers his most recent book, "The Deerings of International Harvester" which is the story of the other family associated with the creation of International Harvester Corporation.