Cornelius Cole (September 17, 1822 – November 3, 1924) was an American politician who served a single term in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

as a Republican representing California from 1863 to 1865, and another term in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

from 1867 to 1873. Cole, who died at the age of , is the longest-lived U.S. Senator.

Early life and education

Cornelius Cole was born in

Lodi, New York Lodi ( ) is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 1,469 at the 2020 census. The Town of Lodi is in the southwest part of the county and is northwest of Ithaca, New York. The town contains a village also named ...

on September 17, 1822. He received his education at local

common schools A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary ...

, Ovid Academy in

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

, Lima Seminary in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

, and Hobart College in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. He graduated from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.749504 km) south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the L ...

in 1847, studied law with

William H. Seward William Henry Seward (; May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States senator. A determined opp ...

, and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1848. After a year mining gold in California, in 1849 he began to practice law, first in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, then in

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

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. He served on the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...

from 1856 to 1860. From August 1856 to January 1857, Cole and

James McClatchy James McClatchy (1824–1883) was an Irish-born American newspaper editor. He was the second editor of '' The Sacramento Bee'', which grew into The McClatchy Company, taking over just days after the newspaper began publication as ''The Daily Bee ...

edited the ''Sacramento Daily Times''. Additionally, he was nominated on the Republican ticket for Clerk of Sacramento Court but was unsuccessful. In 1858 he was elected

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Sacramento County Sacramento County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,585,055. Its county seat is Sacramento, which has been the state capital of California since 1854. Sacrament ...

. In 1862 he and his family moved to Santa Cruz. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Cole supported the Union. In 1863, he was commissioned as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

after winning an election to command the Santa Cruz Cavalry Troop, a unit he helped raise for the

California Militia The California National Guard (Cal Guard) is part of the National Guard of the United States, a dual federal–state military reserve force in the state of California. It has three components: the California Army National Guard, California Air N ...

. He did actively command because he had been elected to Congress. In 1862, Cole was elected to the

as a Union Republican, and he served one term, March 4 1863 to March 3, 1865. On November 19, 1863, Cole traveled to

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; ) is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the borough had a population of 7,106 people. Gettysburg was the site of ...

with

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. He was on the speaker's platform near Lincoln, and both heard and saw him deliver the

Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg Address is a Public speaking, speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, U.S. president, following the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. The speech has come to be viewed as one ...

. On April 14, 1865, Cole spoke with Lincoln a few hours before Lincoln was assassinated. In

1865 Events January * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Fort Fisher – Unio ...

, he was elected to the

, serving one term from March 4, 1867 to March 3, 1873. During his final two years as a senator, Cole served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee. He was also one of the senators who voted in favor of the

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson The Federal impeachment in the United States, impeachment of Andrew Johnson for "high crimes and misdemeanors" was initiated by the United States House of Representatives on February 24, 1868. The alleged high crimes and misdemeanors were after ...

Later life

After returning to California following his retirement from politics, he practiced law in San Francisco and

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. In 1880, he moved to Colegrove, where he lived in retirement. Cole was the founder of Colegrove, a settlement he created on land that had been part of

Rancho La Brea Rancho La Brea was a Mexican land grant in present-day Los Angeles County, California, given in 1828 to Antonio Jose Rocha and Nemisio Dominguez by José Antonio Carrillo, the alcalde of Los Angeles. Rancho La Brea consisted of one square l ...

; he acquired the land from owner

Henry Hancock Henry Hancock (April 11, 1822January 9, 1883) was a lawyer and a land surveyor working in California in the 1850s. He was the owner of Rancho La Brea, which included the La Brea Tar Pits. Early life Henry Hancock was born in Bath, New Hampshir ...

as payment for helping Hancock confirm title to Rancho La Brea. Colegrove was named for Cole's wife, and several streets were named for his children, including Willoughby Avenue, Eleanor Street and Seward Street. he turned 100 years old in 1922

Death and burial

Cole died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

in Los Angeles on November 3, 1924. He was buried at

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematorium, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries ...

. At age 102, Cole is the longest-lived U.S. Senator.

Family

In January 1853, Cole married Olive Colegrove of

Trumansburg, New York Trumansburg is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Tompkins County, New York, Tompkins County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,797 at the 2010 census. The name incorporates a misspelling of th ...

. They were the parents of nine children. Cole's brother,

George W. Cole George W. Cole (March 26, 1827 – December 9, 1875) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. His wartime commands included the 2nd United States Colored Cavalry Regiment, and he attained the rank of major general by br ...

, was a Union Army officer in the

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

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

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Cornelius 1822 births 1924 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 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 People of the Six Years' War Republican Party United States senators from California Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Wesleyan University alumni 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century United States senators