John J. Cornwell

John J. Cornwell

John Jacob Cornwell (born July 11, 1867 in Pennsboro , Ritchie County , West Virginia , †  September 8, 1953 in Cumberland , Maryland ) was an American politician ( Democratic Party ) and from 1917 to 1921 the 15th  governor of the state of West Virginia.

Early years and political advancement

In 1870, young John Cornwell moved to Hampshire County with his parents . There he attended Shepard College before teaching himself as a primary school teacher at the age of 16. At the same time he completed a law degree and was admitted to the bar in 1898. Together with his brother he bought the newspaper "Hampshire Review" in 1890, which he published until 1917. Cornwell's political rise began in 1899 when he was elected to the West Virginia Senate . There he remained until 1905. In 1904 he tried unsuccessfully against the Republican William MO Dawson for the office of governor of West Virginia. In 1916 he was again put up as a candidate by his party and this time prevailed with a narrow majority.

West Virginia Governor

With his election victory, he became the first and only Democratic governor of West Virginia between 1897 and 1933 in what was then a Republican-dominated state. Cornwell's four-year term began on March 4, 1917. As early as April of the same year, the United States entered the First World War . Governor Cornwell did his best to support the federal government's war effort. In percentage terms, West Virginia had the highest number of volunteers of any state. Production in the country had to be converted to war requirements, i.e. armaments. After the end of the war in November 1918, he had to convert the country's economy back to civilian needs.

During his tenure, a solution was finally found with the state of Virginia to repay the old debts of West Virginia, which originated from the time before the separation from the then motherland Virginia. During his tenure, administration in the education sector improved with the establishment of the State Board of Education . Another innovation was established with the Department of Public Safety , a ministry for public safety to which the police are still subordinate to this day. In the second half of his tenure there were again industrial disputes in West Virginia. Coal mining was again affected, particularly in Mingo County . The governor failed to calm the situation; there were riots and shootings. Separately, in early 1921 there was a fire in the Capitol in Charleston , in which the building was destroyed. It had to be rebuilt in the following years.

After his tenure on March 4, 1921, Cornwell became president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad . He then retired to Romney , where he was buried after his death in September 1953. John Cornwell was married to Edna Brady, with whom he had two children.

Web links

• John J. Cornwell in the database of the National Governors Association (English)
• The governors of West Virginia (English)
• John J. Cornwell in the database of Find a Grave (English)