Mark McCormick

Mark was born April 13, 1933, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to Elmo Eugene McCormick, a lawyer and police judge, and Virgilla Lawler McCormick, an elementary school teacher. He attended the Fort Dodge public schools before earning his B.A. at Villanova University on a Navy ROTC scholarship. After graduation, he served three years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, including several trips to Europe. Those whet his appetite for travel, even when that involved carrying his children through US National Parks or falling off the Great Wall of China.

Beginning his long commitment to the law, Mark attended Georgetown University Law Center, receiving his L.L.B. Afterward, Mark clerked for Federal Judge Harvey Johnson, the Chief Judge of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mark then returned to his hometown to practice in the Art Johnson law firm. While there, he also served as Assistant Webster County Attorney for four years.

His judicial career began with an appointment to the Iowa District Court by Governor Harold Hughes in July 1968. In April 1972, Governor Robert Ray appointed him as a Justice to the Iowa Supreme Court, making him the youngest member to serve on the court in the 20th Century. While on the bench, he earned an L.L.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Throughout his tenure, Mark was instrumental in significant judicial reforms and authored hundreds of Supreme Court opinions and dissents. He co-authored a respected legal text on jury selection with Hale Starr, wrote extensively in various legal publications, and participated in seminars on a variety of legal topics. Mark transitioned from the Iowa Supreme Court in 1986 to become a senior partner in the Belin Law Firm, now Belin McCormick, handling commercial litigation and appeals. He retired from practice in 2021.

Across the decades, Mark continued to dedicate himself to public service through his contributions to State committees, including the Iowa Crime Commission and Governor’s Task Forces on governmental ethics and Iowa’s mental health institutions, and chaired a Task Force to prevent another Iowa Trust scandal. He continued to contribute to ethics in the legal profession and public life by serving as Independent Counsel to the Iowa House Ethics Committee and Co-chair of a bipartisan House Committee on Government Ethics Laws.

Mark chaired nomination panels for both Federal and State of Iowa court systems. He also taught courses at the National Judicial College and at various continuing education programs for lawyers.

As one admirer said of him, “McCormick’s so-called retirement from the Supreme Court contributed more to the field of law and justice than the careers of many others.”

In 1998, Mark McCormick ran in the Democratic Primary for Governor of the State of Iowa, and in 2003, he was a candidate for Mayor of Des Moines. Although neither run was successful, Mark’s campaigns allowed him to meet and learn from thousands of Iowans. To him both races were truly gratifying experiences.

Mark’s professional accomplishments were many, but his friends and family will always remember him for personal qualities. He took up running in his 40s, sometimes commuting to work that way, or by bicycle. He ran in a number of marathons across the country – even the Boston Marathon – and he continued running well into his 80s. As with the law, Mark kept his vision on achieving distant goals, with dedication and integrity.

Energy-conscious to a fault, he was an early adopter of commuting by moped, something unusual enough that The Des Moines Register ran a feature on it. And while Mark was an avid reader, particularly of biographies, and especially those on President Lincoln, his affinity for words was disciplined in his own writing. Possibly the most concise writer to ever have lived, his family cherishes his notes, which often were as brief as: “Love, Dad.”

Mark is survived by his wife Victoria L. Herring; children Marcia (John O’Connell), Michael (Amy), Paul, and Katharine (Rakesh Kumar); seven grandchildren; and his brother Richard McCormick (Mary Pat). Mark was preceded in death by his parents, brothers John (Betty Jo) and the reverend Fr. Jim, and son Ryan.

In lieu of flowers, occasionally speak his name with reverence and remember Mark McCormick as a brilliant legal mind and tireless advocate for justice and public integrity. We need more of his kind. Now more than ever.

Donations in his honor may be made to the Opus Spiritus Sancti (opusspiritussancti.com), a federation of religious communities focused on supporting the education of children in Africa and India; The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines (desmoinesfoundation.org/mccormick), or a charity of one’s choice.

A visitation will be held at Dunn-Iles Funeral Home on April 4, 2025, from 4pm-6pm. Services will be held on April 5, 2025, at 11 am, at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church in Windsor Heights, followed by a light luncheon at Wakonda Country Club. The family will host a Celebration of Life in mid-June 2025.