was his full first name, possibly inspired by his grandfather Christian and his grandmother's maiden name Lay.
He served in the United States Army during World War II for forty-six months.
[5] He returned to politics, defeating Democratic incumbent William L. Harris in the 1980 general election.
In 1981, he announced his decision to challenge Democratic incumbent Gene Johns for the Illinois Senate after the latter had been indicted for violating campaign contribution disclosure laws.
[6] In a three-way race with a candidate from the Equal Rights Party, Johns defeated McCormick to retain his seat.