A Rumely Company logo and photos of Dr. Edward Rumely at the South Shore Wall of Fame. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Leigh Morris of LaPorte nominated Dr. Edward Rumely (1882-1964) to be designated as a Northwest Indiana Legend, and he was selected. Rumely was installed at the Indiana Welcome Center, Hammond, on Dec. 19, 2013. Here is information from Morris on this historic LaPortean and how he helped put LaPorte “on the map.”
By Leigh Morris
As an amateur historian, I’ve been interested in the Rumely family and the great company they built in our community that had worldwide impact. I’ve gotten to know many members of the family personally, and I’ve done a great deal of research to learn more
LaPorte Mayor Blair Milo and LaPortean (and former LaPorte Mayor) Leigh Morris at the Rumely induction ceremony in Hammond. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
about others. None of them — with the exception of Meinrad Rumely, who founded the family enterprise — is more intriguing than Dr. Edward Rumely, Meinrad’s grandson. His circle of friends and associates included Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Ford and many others, and his impact was significant in whatever endeavor he undertook.
It was apparent early on that Edward Rumely, born in 1882 as one of 13 children, was destined for greatness. He studied initially at the University of Notre Dame, then matriculated to Ruskin Hall at Oxford before going on to Germany, where he studied at Heidelberg and Freiburg universities.
Edward’s determination to achieve was demonstrated in many ways. While he was in Germany, his father wanted him to return to LaPorte before he earned his MD degree. Edward refused. His father cut off his funds, so Edward went to work and earned the money to enable him to stay and complete his degree. He graduated from the Freiburg magna cum laude with a degree in medicine in 1906.
His accomplishments as a leader in industry and education are significant. He became treasurer and general manager of LaPorte’s Rumely Company while still in his late 20s and spearheaded construction of a completely new manufacturing complex in LaPorte that was one of the most advanced in the nation. While in Germany, Edward was intrigued by Rudolf Diesel, and that experience led him to conceive of the engine concept that was created for the revolutionary new Rumely OilPull tractor. He also led the acquisition of several other related companies, enabling the Rumely Company to emerge as a leading agricultural equipment manufacturer of worldwide significance.
At the same time, Edward developed Interlaken School in LaPorte County, which uniquely helped to build mind, body and character of the hundreds of young men he helped to educate.
At the age of 32, Edward resigned as an officer of the Rumely Company and moved to New York City, where he became editor-in-chief and publisher of the New York Evening Mail. He later assisted farmers in obtaining loans through the Agricultural Bond and Credit Company. In 1932 he began forming the Committee for the Nation for Rebuilding Purchasing Power and Prices, or Committee for the Nation for short. Rumely served as executive secretary. Supported by economists George F. Warren of Cornell and Irving Fisher of Yale, Edward corresponded with President-elect Franklin Roosevelt and influential congressmen such as Senator Elmer Thomas of Oklahoma and Henry Wallace, who joined the group’s executive committee and later became secretary of agriculture. Early in 1941, Rumely helped establish the Committee for Constitutional Government, serving as a trustee and executive secretary.
In ill health, Dr. Rumely returned to LaPorte in 1959 and devoted his time and energy disseminating information on cancer. Prior to his death in 1964, he assisted in various medical advances, including the improvement of hearing aids, promotion of cytology (the Pap test) for early cancer detection, and opposition of cigarette smoking.
Dr. Rumely was truly a Renaissance man. I was pleased to nominate him to become a South Shore Legend, a designation that honors persons from northwest Indiana who have had major impact on the region and beyond.