Northwestern Harvest

Seven million dollars--the largest gift to higher education since George Eastman left 14 Kodak millions to the University of Rochester in 1932--fell last week into the lap of Chicago's Northwestern University. To Northwesterners the-- size of the gift was no more gratifying than the donor, the late Roger Deering of the third generation of Chicago's famed, harvester- making Deering family. Roger's grandfather, William Deering of Maine, was nearing 50 when he visited the Midwest, found his old friend Elijah Gammon struggling with throat trouble and a manufacturing concession for Marsh harvesters. Elijah Gammon told William Deering that his machine was better than any built by powerful old Cyrus Hall McCormick, inventor of the reaper. William invested $40,000 in the concession, moved to Evanston, Ill., soon bought out his partner. In 1880 he soared to the top of the brawling harvester business with a twine binder which he picked up from one John F. Appleby. Twine binders did not cut into the wheat or, like wire binders, kill cattle that happened to eat a strand. Struggling little Northwestern University, founded by Methodists, learned early to count on pious, prosperous William Deering. From 1876 until his death in 1913 William gave Northwestern $1,000,000 in 55 small but steady driblets. Most of his $15,000,000 estate he walled to his two sons, Charles and James. McCormicks and Deerings were forever making overtures toward consolidation, but the first generation was too independent. It was 1902 when William Deering's son Charles and Cyrus Hall McCormick II finally came to terms over a J. P. Morgan table in Manhattan. Result: International Harvester Co., which gave McCormicks a 43% interest, Deerings a 34% interest in a near-monopoly of the world's harvester business.* Charles was chairman until 1910. When he retired Deerings took back seats. James died a bachelor in 1925. He had endowed Chicago's Wesley Memorial Hospital, affiliate of Northwestern, with $1,000,000 but had spent most of his inheritance on a 72-room palace in Miami, an art collection to fill it. Charles lived two years longer than his brother, gave $1,100,000 to Northwestern. Charles had two sons. One, Charles William Case Deering, died without issue before his father. The other was Roger. Roger Deering did not go to college. Tuberculous since he was 17, he was bed-ridden most of his years, lived a life as inactive as his grandfather's was exciting. He kept financial reports by his bedside, was sharp enough to get out of the stock-market before the 1929 crash. In search of dry air, he was carried to Egypt, Spain, then to the U. S. Southwest for good. Not since 1923 had he seen a football game with sharp-faced President Walter Dill Scott, of Northwestern, great ferret of endowments, great friend of Deerings. Roger died at 51 last fortnight in Albuquerque, N. Mex. Last week his will revealed that except for small bequests to his mother and two sisters, his entire estate of something over $7,000,000 will go to Northwestern. Bringing the family total to $10,300,000, it was the 70th gift which the university has received from persons of the blood and name of Deering. It was also the last, for Roger was the only surviving male member of the family.

*McCormick-Deering farm machinery, Harvester's No. 1 line, is not to be confused with the product of independent Deere & Co., whose rise to the status of a substantial competitor dates from the famed consent decree of 1918 which ended the "Harvester Trust."

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