Alexander McCormick Sturm

Alexander McCormick Sturm
William Batterman Ruger and Alexander McCormick Sturm (with beard) in 1950. Together they founded Sturm, Ruger & Co., with Ruger providing the gun expertise, and Sturm providing the eagle logo and financial backing
Born	(1923-06-23)June 23, 1923 Westport, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	November 16, 1951(1951-11-16) (aged 28) Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma mater	Yale University
Occupation	artist, author, entrepreneur
Employer	Sturm, Ruger & Co.
Spouse(s)	Paulina Longworth (m. 1944–1951; his death)
Children	Joanna Sturm
Parent(s)	Justin Sturm Katherine McCormick
Relatives	Alexander Agnew McCormick, Jr. (uncle)

Alexander McCormick "Alex" Sturm (June 23, 1923 – November 16, 1951) was an American artist, author, and entrepreneur who co-founded in 1949, the American firearm maker, Sturm, Ruger & Co. Sturm provided the start-up money and designed the Germanic heraldic eagle that is found on Ruger guns. He was the husband of Paulina Longworth. Sturm came from a prominent Connecticut family, and his wealthy mother was of the McCormick mercantile family. He was a Yale University graduate. Not long after the company had begun to succeed financially and gain traction, Sturm died from viral hepatitis.

Alex was born in Westport, Connecticut to sculptor/author/Yale football star Justin Sturm (April 21, 1899 — August 6, 1967) and Katherine "Kit" McCormick (August 31, 1900 — May 6, 1971). He had one younger brother, Justin Jr. (born 1926) (known as "Dusty"). Kit's brother Alexander Agnew McCormick, Jr. (1897–1918) was a World War I flier. As a writer and artist, he was, during his life, perhaps best known for his two popular illustrated children's books, The Problem Fox, and From Ambush to Zig-zag, both published before he graduated from Yale; and for his playboy bon vivant lifestyle. A New York Times reviewer described the The Problem Fox as "marvelous", and "a little masterpiece."

While a student at Yale, Alex liked to dine at the best hotel in town, while other students would eat at the school dining hall. One of his classmates from his undergraduate days at Yale recalled:

He would go to New York regularly on the weekends. His clothes were all custom-tailored, and he was a Renaissance type, with all kinds of talent. An artistic sense, a true brilliance, were in his genes. Alex was a voracious collector: guns, canes, swords, heraldry.