McCormack, John William (1891-1980), a Democrat from Massachusetts, served as speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1962 to 1971. Before his election as speaker, McCormack had been deputy to Sam Rayburn, the top House Democrat from 1940 until his death in 1961.
McCormack was born in Boston on Dec. 21, 1891, and attended public schools there. He served in the Massachusetts legislature from 1920 to 1926 and represented his South Boston district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1928 to 1971. McCormack gained a reputation in Congress as a strong supporter of his party’s legislative programs. In 1969, a group of liberal House Democrats tried to replace McCormack as speaker, but he was reelected by a wide margin. McCormack retired from the House in January 1971, after more than 42 consecutive years of service. He died on Nov. 22, 1980.
