Cyrus Hall McCormick, Sr. (February 15, 1809 - May 13, 1884) was an American inventor and founder of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which became part of International Harvester Company in 1902. Although McCormick is credited as the "inventor" of the mechanical reaper, he based his work on that of many others, including Scottish and American men, more than two decades of work by his father, and the aid of Jo Anderson (slave), a slave held by his family. Cyrus McCormick filed patents for the invention, and his achievements were chiefly in the development of a company, marketing and sales force to market his products. McCormick died in Chicago in1884. He was 75 and had been handicapped for the last four years of his life due to a stroke causing paralysis of the legs. This image has been colorized.