Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/414

 CORNELL

CORNWALL

are: Grammar of the English Langnar/e (1846); Consumption Forestalled and Pi-evented (1847) ; Observations on Epilepsy (1854) ; Clerical Health (1858); The Beacon (1865); Life and Career of Horace Greeley (1872) ; How to Enjoy Life (1873) ; Charles Sumner, Meviories and Eulogies (1876) ; History of Pennsijlvania (1876) ; Memoir of David .Sanford (1878) ; Pecollections of Ye Olden Time (1878) ; and Lives of Clergymen, Physicians and Eminent Business Men of the Xineteentii Century (1881). He died in Boston, Mass., April 14, 1895.

CORNELL, William Wiggins, philanthro- pist, was born in Far Rockaway, N.Y., Jan. 1, 1823. He was brought up on his father's farm and acquired a common school education. As a boy he was apprenticed to an iron founder and in 1847 established in connection with his brother John Black, the business of manufacturing iron under the firoi name J. B. & W. W. Cornell. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and gave liberally from his ample for- tune to religious, educational and charitable ob- jects. "With his brother he erected the Cornell Memorial church and founded the New York city mission and Sunday school society. He founded and liberally endowed Cornell college at Mt. Vernon, Iowa, which institution was named in his honor. He died at Fort Washington, New York city, March 17. 1870.

CORNING, Erastus, representative, was born in Norwich, Conn., Dec. 14, 1794; a descendant of Ensign Samuel Corning of Beverly, Mass. His education was acquired in public schools and in 1807 he was employed in Troy, N.Y., by his uncle, Benjamin Smith, a hardware merchant, the bulk of whose property he subsequently inherited. He remained in Troy for seven years, then removing to Albany, where he established the firm of Erastus Corning & Co., hardware merchants. He held several local offices in Albany, among them alderman, and mayor (1834- 37), and was also prominentlj" identified with the financial interests of the city. In 1842 he was elected state senator and served three years. He was a representative in the 35th congress. 1857-59; was defeated for the 36th and elected to the 37th congress. He was re-elected to the 38th congress, but resigned before taking his seat and J. V. L. Pruyn was chosen in his place. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1867. In 1833 he was elected a regent of the University of the state of New York and was afterward chosen vice-chancellor of the board of regents. His son, Erastus, born in Albany, N.Y., June 26, 1827, succeeded to the extensive business and financial interests of his father, in which he had been a partner from 1848, taking his place as a director of the various cor- porations, and distributing a large portion of his

income from the estate in charities. He died in Albany, N.Y., Aug. 80, 1897. Erastus Corning, Sr., died in Albany, N.Y., April 9, 1872.

CORNING, James Leonard, clergyman, was born at Albany. N.Y., Aug. 21, 1828; son of Edward and Elizabeth (Stebbins) Corning; and grandson of Asa Corning and of David Stebbins. He was graduated from the University of the city of New York in 1849 ; and received the degree of B.D. from Union theological seminary in 1852. He was ordained to the Congregational ministry, June 22, 1852, and was pastor at Stamford, Conn, 1853-56; Buflfalo, N.Y., 1857-60; Milwaukee, Wis., 1860-61; aad Poughkeepsie, N.Y., 1863-69. He went to Europe in 1869 for the purpose of studying art, returning in 1877. He delivered a course of lectures on art at Vassar college and made a second trip to Europe later in 1877, re- maining there until 1880. On his return to America he devoted his time to lecturing. He was director of the history and literature of art at Chautauqua university, 1880-85, and pastor of the Congregational church at Terre Haute, Ind., from 1885 to 1887. In 1892 he was appointed U.S. vice and deputy consul at Munich, Germanj^, and retained this office until 1897, when he was suc- ceeded by George G. Pierie.

CORN LEY, James Madison, journalist, was born in Perrj' county, Ohio, March 6, 1832. He learned the trade of a printer in his boyhood and was graduated at the high school in Columbus in 1848. In 1859 he was admitted to the bar and iu 1861 entered the Federal armj- as a private. He was commissioned lieutenant-colonel in Au- gust, 1861, and in October succeeded Rutherford B. Hayes as major of the 23d Ohio infantry, having requested a transfer to an active regiment. He was promoted lieutenant-coionel, colonel and brevet brigadier-general. In 1865 he returned to Columbus, Ohio, where he practised law and later became pi-oprietor and principal owner in the Ohio State Journal. In 1872 he was appointed by President Grant postmaster of Columbus, and on the accession of Mr. Haj'es to the presidency he was appointed U.S. minister to Hawaii. He^ returned to Ohio in 1883 and became editor and owner of the Toledo Commercial. He died in Toledo, Ohio, July 26, 1887.

CORNWALL, Henry Bedinger, educator, was born in Southport, Conn., July 29, 1844; son of Nathaniel Ellsworth and Susan Peyton (Bed- inger) Cornwall; grandson of Asa Cornwall of Cheshire, Conn. ; and a descendant of William Cornwall, a resident of Middletown, Conn., early in the seventeenth century. He was graduated from Coliunbia college in 1864, and in 18GT fin- ished the course at the School of mines, receiving the degrees of A.M. and E.M. He was assistant in mineralogy and metallurgy at Columbia col-