Cornelius Cole
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Cornelius Cole | |
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| United States Senator from California | |
| In office March 4, 1867 – March 4, 1873 | |
| Preceded by | James A. McDougall |
| Succeeded by | Aaron A. Sargent |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's at-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1863 – March 4, 1865 | |
| Preceded by | Timothy Guy Phelps |
| Succeeded by | Seat eliminated |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 17, 1822 Lodi, New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 3, 1924 (aged 102) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Olive Colegrove (m. 1853) |
| Children | 9 |
| Alma mater | Wesleyan University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
Cornelius Cole (September 17, 1822 – November 3, 1924) was an American politician who served a single term in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican representing California from 1863 to 1865, and another term in the United States Senate from 1867 to 1873. Cole, who died at the age of 102 years, 47 days, is the longest-lived U.S. Senator.
Early life and education
[edit]Cornelius Cole was born in Lodi, New York on September 17, 1822.[1] He received his education at local common schools, Ovid Academy in Ovid, Lima Seminary in Lima, and Hobart College in Geneva.[1] He graduated from Wesleyan University of Middletown, Connecticut in 1847, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1848.[1] After a year mining gold in California, in 1849 he began to practice law, first in San Francisco, then in Sacramento.[1]
Political career
[edit]On March 8, 1856, Cole was one of the organizers of the California branch of the Republican Party, acting as secretary and writing the manifesto. The 22 men who signed the organizing document included Edwin B. Crocker, the organizer of the new party, and Collis Potter Huntington. He served on the Republican National Committee from 1856 to 1860.[1] From August 1856 to January 1857, Cole and James McClatchy edited the Sacramento Daily Times. It was short lived, lasting only a few months after the 1856 National election.
Additionally, he was nominated on the Republican ticket for Clerk of Sacramento Court but failed to get elected. In 1858 he was elected as District Attorney of Sacramento County.[1] In 1862 he and his family moved to Santa Cruz.[1] During the American Civil War, Cole was commissioned as a captain after winning an election to command a Santa Cruz cavalry troop raised for the Union Army. He did serve because he had been elected to Congress.
In 1862, Cole was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Union Republican, and he served one term, March 4 1863 to March 3, 1865.[1] In November 1863, Cole traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with Abraham Lincoln. He was on the speaker's platform near Lincoln, and both heard and saw him deliver the Gettysburg Address.
In 1867, he was elected to the United States Senate, and he served one term, March 4, 1867 to March 3, 1873.[1] During his final two years as a senator, Cole served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee.[2] He was also one of the senators who voted in favor of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson.[3]
Later life
[edit]After returning to California following his retirement from politics, he practiced in San Francisco and Los Angeles.[1] In 1880, he moved to Colegrove, where he lived in retirement.[1] Cole died of pneumonia in Los Angeles on November 3, 1924.[1] He was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.[1] At age 102, Cole is the longest-lived U.S. Senator.[3]
Family
[edit]In January 1853, Cole married Olive Colegrove of Trumansburg, New York.[4] They were the parents of nine children.[5]
Cole's brother, George W. Cole, was a Union Army officer in the American Civil War who attained the rank of major general by brevet. After the war, George Cole was acquitted of the murder of L. Harris Hiscock, whom he accused of having an affair with Mrs. Cole.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Joint Committee On Printing, U.S. Congress (1950). Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1949. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1001 – via Google Books.
- ^ U.S. Senate Committee On Appropriations (2005). Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate: 138th Anniversary, 1867-2005. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 90 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Died: Cornelius Cole". Time. New York, NY: Time Inc. November 17, 1924.
- ^ Cole, Cornelius (1908). Memoirs of Cornelius Cole: Ex-senator of the United States from California. New York, NY: McLoughlin Brothers. p. 99 – via Google Books.
- ^ Morrison, Andrew Malcolm (1921). Efficiency of Life at 100 Years and More. Los Angeles, CA: Austin Publishing Co. pp. 44–45 – via Google Books.
Sources
[edit]- Catherine Coffin Phillips, "Cornelius Cole California Pioneer" (San Francisco, 1929)
- Leonard L. Richards, "The California Gold Rush and the Coming of the Civil War" (New York 2007)
External links
[edit]
- United States Congress. "Cornelius Cole (id: C000607)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Media related to Cornelius Cole at Wikimedia Commons- Cornelius Cole at Find a Grave
| Class 1 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1822 births
- 1924 deaths
- 19th-century American lawyers
- 19th-century American legislators
- American men centenarians
- Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
- California lawyers
- Editors of California newspapers
- New York (state) lawyers
- People from Lodi, New York
- People of California in the American Civil War
- Republican Party United States senators from California
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California
- Wesleyan University alumni