Robert R. McCormick (July 30, 1880 - April 1, 1955) was a Chicago newspaper baron and owner of the Chicago Tribune. His grandfather was Tribune-founder and former Chicago mayor Joseph Medill.
McCormick was born in Chicago. From 1889 through 1893, he lived with his parents in London where his father was a staff secretary to Robert Todd Lincoln. In 1899, McCormick began attending Yale University, following which he received a law degree from Northwestern University. In 1911, he became the president of the Chicago Tribune.
During World War I, footage of McCormick meeting with Tsar Nicholas became the first newsreel footage. On this trip, McCormick also began collecting pieces of historically significant buildings which would eventually find their way into the structure of the Tribune Tower.
While politically McCormick was extremely conservative, when it came to his business, he was very innovative. McCormick bought a radio station in 1924 and was the first to broadcast the Indianapolis 500, the World Series, and the Kentucky Derby.
The giant convention center McCormick Place on the near South Side of Chicago is named after him.
