Major Cornelius Clarkson Vermeule II (September 26, 1895 – August 7, 1943) was the director of the

Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Reco ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

, United States. He also succeeded his father, Cornelius Clarkson Vermeule Sr., as Engineer in Charge of the decommissioning and dismantlement of the

Morris Canal The Morris Canal (1829–1924) was a common carrier anthracite coal canal across northern New Jersey that connected the two industrial canals at Easton, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River from its western terminus at Phillipsburg, New Je ...

Biography

He was born to

Cornelius Clarkson Vermeule I Cornelius Clarkson Vermeule (September 5, 1858 – February 1, 1950), was a civil engineer and topographer in New Jersey and New York. Biography Cornelius Clarkson Vermeule was born at Raritan Landing, New Jersey, on September 5, 1858, the son of ...

on September 26, 1895. He married Catherine Sayre (née Comstock) December 3, 1921. They had one child, the renowned art historian

Cornelius Clarkson Vermeule III Cornelius Clarkson Vermeule III (August 10, 1925 – November 27, 2008) was an American scholar of ancient art and curator of classical art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, from 1957 to 1996. He was also well known as a numismatist. He also ...

, in

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline ...

, on August 10, 1925. Vermeule continued his father's work with the government of the state of New Jersey, holding several positions over time and serving a pivotal role in the dismantlement and preservation of the Morris Canal. In 1934, Vermeule Jr. was issued the Distinguished Service Medal by the War Defense in for his "great courage and daring" staying on the line for three successive periods during the battle of Meuse-Argonne as a Major with the Machine Gun Company of the 320th Regiment, 80th Division, in the

World War A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I, Worl ...

. A resident of

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was List of municipalities in ...

, Cornelius C. Vermeule Jr's body was found in

Hoboken Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 ...

aboard a ferry on August 7, 1943, where he is believed to have taken his own life with a revolver.

Career

Cornelius C. Vermeule Sr. resigned from his post as consulting and directing engineer of the dismantlement of the

Morris Canal and Banking Company The Morris Canal (1829–1924) was a common carrier anthracite coal canal across northern New Jersey that connected the two industrial canals at Easton, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River from its western terminus at Phillipsburg, New Jers ...

and on April 7, 1924, was succeeded by Vermeule Jr. Vermeule Jr. completed the work and submitted his final report on June 29, 1929. This report is considered to be one of the most important sources of technical information, photos, and history of the Morris Canal.Guides
nj.gov

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vermeule, Cornelius Clarkson, 02 Suicides by firearm in New Jersey 1895 births 1943 deaths Vermeule family People from East Orange, New Jersey United States Army officers Morris Canal United States Army personnel of World War I