Cornelius Cole

Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Infobox officeholder 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 Template:Ayd, is the longest-lived U.S. Senator.

Early life and education

Cornelius Cole was born in Lodi, New York on September 17, 1822.<ref name="Directory1950">Template:Cite book</ref> He received his education at local common schools, Ovid Academy in Ovid, Lima Seminary in Lima, and Hobart College in Geneva.<ref name="Directory1950"/> He graduated from Wesleyan University of Middletown, Connecticut in 1847, studied law with William H. Seward, and was admitted to the bar in 1848.<ref name="Directory1950"/><ref name="Richards">Template:Cite book</ref> After a year mining gold in California, in 1849 he began to practice law, first in San Francisco, then in Sacramento.<ref name="Directory1950"/>

Political career

On March 8, 1856, Cole was one of the organizers of the California branch of the Republican Party, acting as secretary and writing its initial manifesto.<ref name="Richards"/> He served on the Republican National Committee from 1856 to 1860.<ref name="Directory1950"/> From August 1856 to January 1857, Cole and James McClatchy edited the Sacramento Daily Times.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Portrait by Mathew Brady Template:Circa 1860–1865

Additionally, he was nominated on the Republican ticket for Clerk of Sacramento Court but was unsuccessful. In 1858 he was elected District Attorney of Sacramento County.<ref name="Directory1950"/> In 1862 he and his family moved to Santa Cruz.<ref name="Directory1950"/> During the American Civil War, Cole supported the Union.<ref name="Freshour">Template:Cite book</ref> In 1863, he was commissioned as a captain after winning an election to command the Santa Cruz Cavalry Troop, a unit he helped raise for the California Militia.<ref name="Freshour"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He did actively command because he had been elected to Congress.<ref name="Freshour"/>

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.<ref name="Directory1950"/> On November 19, 1863, Cole traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with Abraham Lincoln.<ref name="Sunny">Template:Cite magazine</ref> He was on the speaker's platform near Lincoln, and both heard and saw him deliver the Gettysburg Address.<ref name="Sunny"/> On April 14, 1865, Cole spoke with Lincoln a few hours before Lincoln was assassinated.<ref name="Sunny"/>

In 1865, he was elected to the United States Senate, serving one term from March 4, 1867 to March 3, 1873.<ref name="Directory1950"/> During his final two years as a senator, Cole served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He was also one of the senators who voted in favor of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson.<ref name="Time">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Later life

Cornelius Cole in June 1922 at age 99

After returning to California following his retirement from politics, he practiced law in San Francisco and Los Angeles.<ref name="Directory1950"/> In 1880, he moved to Colegrove, where he lived in retirement.<ref name="Directory1950"/> Cole was the founder of Colegrove, a settlement he created on land that had been part of Rancho La Brea; he acquired the land from owner Henry Hancock as payment for helping Hancock confirm title to Rancho La Brea.<ref name="Masters">Template:Cite news</ref> Colegrove was named for Cole's wife, and several streets were named for his children, including Willoughby Avenue, Eleanor Street and Seward Street.<ref name="Masters"/> he turned 100 years old in 1922

Death and burial

Cole died of pneumonia in Los Angeles on November 3, 1924.<ref name="Directory1950"/> He was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.<ref name="Directory1950"/>

At age 102, Cole is the longest-lived U.S. Senator.<ref name="Time"/>

Family

In January 1853, Cole married Olive Colegrove of Trumansburg, New York.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> They were the parents of nine children.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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.<ref name="Gordon">Template:Cite book</ref> After the war, George Cole was acquitted of the murder of L. Harris Hiscock, whom he accused of having an affair with Mrs. Cole.<ref name="Gordon"/>

Sources

• 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

• Template:CongBio
• Template:Commons category-inline
• Template:Find a Grave