Richard P. McCormick
History Professor, Rutgers Historian
A historian and scholar of American politics, Richard P. McCormick’s contributions to political history and public service have left an indelible mark on both academia and the nation
An authority on American political history, Richard P. McCormick served as a research adviser to Colonial Williamsburg from 1952–61, and was a Rutgers faculty member from 1945–82. He was dean of Rutgers College from 1974–77, president of the New Jersey Historical Society from 1950–57, chair of the New Jersey Historical Commission from 1967–70, and chair of the New Jersey Tercentenary Commission from 1969–70. His books include Rutgers: A Bicentennial History (1984), The Presidential Game: The Origins of American Presidential Politics (1982), The Second American Party System: Party Formation in the Jacksonian Era (1966), and New Jersey from Colony to State (1964, 1981). He is also the subject of Michael J. Birkner’s book McCormick of Rutgers: Scholar, Teacher, Public Historian (2001). In January 2003, he received the Award for Scholarly Distinction from the American Historical Association, the nation’s top professional group of historians. McCormick’s son, Richard L. McCormick, became the 19th president of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, in December 2002. Richard P. McCormick died in 2006.