Alexander McCormick Sturm

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Alexander McCormick "Sandy" Sturm (1923-13 November 1951) was an American artist and writer who was a co-founder of Sturm, Ruger, a firearms manufacturer.

As a writer he was best known for two illustrated children's books, The Problem Fox and From Ambush to Zig-zag, both published before he graduated from Yale.

Sturm was well-connected. He was the son of sculptor Justin Sturm, and the grandson of World War I hero Alexander McCormick. Sturm's $50,000 investment in Sturm, Ruger in 1949 was prompted by his interest in guns and his friendship with William B. Ruger, who provided the technical know-how. Because of his severe asthma, he was not able to go to world war two, so he was recruited by the government to accompany and report on Ernst "Putzi" Hanfstaengl, one of Hitler's friends and piano player. Due to Alex's knowledge of german culture, they got along fairly well.

Sturm married Paulina Longworth, the daughter of Congressman Nicholas Longworth and Alice Roosevelt in 1944. They had one daughter, Joanna Sturm.

Alexander Sturm became seriously ill with hepatitis and died in 1951. The Sturm, Ruger trademark had been a red eagle, and his friend Bill Ruger changed it to black for one year to mourn his partner.

Following his death, his wife, Paulina Longworth Sturm, died of a drug overdose in 1957. Their daughter Joanna Sturm was raised by her grandmother Alice Roosevelt Longworth.