From 1935 to 1939, this room functioned as joint sitting room for Amy McCormick and her husband Robert.  From 1939 to 1944, this room functioned as a guest room.  From 1944 to 1955, this room functioned as Maryland McCormick’s bedroom.

Maryland Mathison Hooper McCormick was born in Baltimore, Maryland on August 6, 1897.  She was an only child of doting parents.  Maryland met Amy McCormick in 1922, and the two became close friends.  Since the Lake Forest society snubbed divorcee Amy McCormick, Amy needed a friend like Maryland.  They were both interested in  equestrian sports, playing bridge, and in raising dogs.  By the 1930s, Amy and Maryland were inseparable, and Maryland even sat for one of Amy’s portraits.

After Amy died in 1939, the Colonel become quite close to Maryland.  By 1942, Colonel McCormick was spending every Thursday evening with Maryland.  McCormick admired Maryland because she was a dashing horsewoman, a stylish hostess and a witty dinner partner.  They loved to discuss politics for hours at a time.  Maryland also could make McCormick laugh at himself, which was quite a daunting accomplishment.

In November of 1944, Maryland obtained a divorce from her first husband, Henry Hooper.  On December 24, 1944, Colonel McCormick married Maryland Mathison Hooper.  At the time of their marriage, Maryland was 47 years old and Colonel McCormick was 64 years old.  When Maryland married McCormick she already had two college-aged daughters, Anne and Alice, from her previous marriage. Alice and Ann moved in and lived upstairs on the second floor. The Colonel and Maryland never had any of their own children, for Maryland was beyond childbearing age.

American artist Mark Tobey (1890-1976) painted the portrait of Maryland that depicts Maryland at the age of 32 in 1929. Other artifacts of note in Maryland’s bedroom include the Austrian walnut dresser from around 1750, just below the portrait, and the William and Mary-style walnut desk from around 1850.  The Italian painted corner cupboard from the early 1700s is more reminiscent of the style of furniture Amy McCormick loved.

Maryland’s favorite color was red, for red is a symbol of happiness in Chinese culture.  When she lived here, her whole bedroom was decorated in shades of rosy red. Maryland was also fond of monkeys, so she embroidered images of them on her stationary holder and on her pillows.

After the Colonel died in 1955, Maryland chose not to live here at Cantigny.  She moved to Washington, D.C., where she enjoyed the social life of political circles.  In 1965, Maryland moved back to Chicago and lived in a luxurious apartment at 209 Lake Shore Drive.  In 1976, when Maryland was visiting the mansion at Cantigny, she decided to re-decorate her old bedroom in shades of yellow as it appears today.  When Maryland died in 1985, she was buried in Graceland cemetery, which is located in the Lincoln Park area of the City of Chicago.  She is buried in the same plot in which Joseph Medill rests.  Maryland’s daughters currently live in California and in England.