McCormick remained active in Republican Party politics . She became the first woman to serve as chairperson of a convention delegation when she chaired the New Mexico delegation at the 1936 Republican National Convention . In 1937 , she sold her dairy farm in Illinois and purchased a 250,000 – acre cattle and sheep ranch in Colorado . In June 1938 , her son , John Medill , went missing while mountain climbing with a friend in the Sandia Mountains . His body was found in the mountains after several days of searching . Not long after the loss , McCormick fractured her hip , limiting her activities
1936 Republican National Convention
1936 Republican National Convention
Ruth Hanna McCormick