Adam E. Cornelius (1882–1953) was one of the co-founders of the

American Steamship Company The American Steamship Company (ASC) is an American transportation company that operates a fleet of self-unloading vessels in the Great Lakes. The company is currently owned by Rand Logistics Inc. History The American Steamship Company was fo ...

and Boland and Cornelius Company.

Biography

At age 20, Cornelius went to work for a small

shipbroking Shipbroking is a financial service, which forms part of the global shipping industry. Shipbrokers are specialist intermediaries/negotiators (i.e. brokers) between shipowners and charterers who use ships to transport cargo, or between buyers a ...

and shipping chartering business owned by John J. Boland in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. Cornelius' position was an entry-level job, earning just $6 a week, but, by 1904, he had proven his worth and Boland invited him to enter into a partnership with his firm. In 1907, Boland and Cornelius launched a company which they named the

. Their first vessel, the SS ''Yale'' was the first steel vessel owned by a Buffalo firm and earned large profits for the partners. Boland and Cornelius ran the American Steamship Company successfully until the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, at which point Cornelius came up with the idea of converting the company's fleet to self-unloaders. This strategy paid off. Cornelius' son, Adam E. Cornelius Jr. was involved with the American Steamship Company, and took over as chairman after Cornelius Sr. died in 1953.New York Court of Appeals. Records and Briefs. By New York (State). Court of Appeals, page 810. Four vessels owned by the American Steamship Company have been named the ''Adam E. Cornelius'' in his honor, in

1908 This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time. Events January * January ...

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

, and

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

References

1882 births 1953 deaths American company founders {{US-business-bio-1880s-stub