Robert John Cornell,
O.Praem (December 16, 1919 – May 10, 2009) was an American
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
priest, professor, and politician who served as a member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
from
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
from 1975 to 1979.
Early life and education
Robert John Cornell was born in
Gladstone, Michigan, and attended parochial schools in
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...
. He earned his B.A. from
St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College (SNC) is a private Norbertine liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the co ...
(
De Pere, Wisconsin
De Pere ( ) is a city located in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 25,410 according to the 2020 Census. De Pere is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
At the arrival of the first European, Je ...
) in 1941 and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...
(CUA) in 1957. He wrote his dissertation on the
Coal strike of 1902. On June 17, 1944, he was ordained a priest of the
Norbertine Order
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...
after six years in the order.
Priesthood
Cornell taught social sciences in parochial schools in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
from 1941 to 1947. He taught at
St. Norbert High School,
Abbot Pennings High School
The Old Nicolet High School is a historic school located in De Pere, Wisconsin, USA.
History
The building was a public high school until 1958. That year, it was purchased by the Norbertines and it was reopened as the Catholic boys' school Abbot ...
, and
St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College (SNC) is a private Norbertine liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the co ...
. He was a professor of history and political science at St. Norbert College from 1947 to 1974, and again from 1979 until 2001.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Cornell organized concerts at the old Brown County Arena (including several that brought Johnny Cash to Green Bay). All proceeds from these concerts benefited local charities.
Political career
Cornell was the chairman of the Eighth Congressional District of the
Democratic Party of Wisconsin
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler.
Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public educa ...
and a member of the State Administrative Committee of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin from 1969 to 1974.
He first became involved in partisan politics in 1961 after a local group of affluent Catholic laypeople in Green Bay panned a speech he gave on the importance of promoting social justice. He later wrote in his memoir: "After that incident I decided that speaking or teaching about issues of social justice and human rights would not be sufficient. These stalwarts of the Church obviously felt that matters of self-interest took precedence. I decided that only by advocating public policy was there a hope of making needed changes."
After unsuccessful congressional runs in 1970 and 1972, Cornell was elected as a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
from in 1974 to the
94th United States Congress, defeating freshman
Republican Harold Vernon Froehlich
Harold Vernon Froehlich (born May 12, 1932) is a retired American politician and judge. He represented Wisconsin's 8th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for one term in 1973–1974 as a Republican and broke wi ...
to become the first Democrat to represent this district in 30 years, and only the fourth to represent this district or its predecessors (it was the 9th District prior to 1933) in the 20th century. He secured the Democratic nomination after defeating
Brown County District Attorney (and now Judge) Donald Zuidmulder with 55% of the primary vote.
![Official Congressional Photo of Fr](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Official_Congressional_Photo_of_Fr._Cornell.jpg)
He was reelected in 1976 to the
95th Congress, becoming the first Democrat to win a second term in what is now the 8th in 62 years. However, he lost to
State Representative
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
Toby Roth
Tobias Anton "Toby" Roth (born October 10, 1938) is a former Republican U.S. Representative from Wisconsin.
Roth represented Wisconsin's 8th congressional district. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979, first being ...
in 1978 in a bid for the
96th Congress. The ''Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report'' (November 18, 1978) reported: "An extremely low turnout among Democratic voters and a strong Republican gubernatorial candidate
Lee S. Dreyfus">
Lee S. Dreyfus/nowiki>">Lee_S._Dreyfus.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Lee S. Dreyfus">Lee S. Dreyfus/nowiki> were key points in defeat of Robert J. Cornell."
In 1980, he decided to seek a rematch against Roth, but abandoned his bid when the Vatican ordered all priests to withdraw from politics.
While in Congress, Cornell served on the United States House Committee on Education and Labor">Holy See">Vatican ordered all priests to withdraw from politics.
While in Congress, Cornell served on the United States House Committee on Education and Labor and the United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. In 1978, he worked alongside Sen. William Proxmire to secure passage of the Wisconsin Wilderness Act, which added Whisker Lake and Blackjack Springs Wilderness to the Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest.
He was the second (after Father Robert Drinan
Robert Frederick Drinan (November 15, 1920 – January 28, 2007) was a Jesuit priest, lawyer, human rights activist, and Democratic U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. Drinan left office to obey Pope John Paul II's prohibition on politica ...
) of only two Roman Catholic priests to serve as a voting representative in the United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
.
Later life
Later in his life, Cornell self-published a memoir entitled ''Is There A Priest In The House?''. The memoir provides an overview of his political career. He focuses primarily on this time in Congress, and discusses many of the issues that he worked on during his tenure. It also includes many witty anecdotes that capture the dry sense of humor that he was known for. Copies of the memoir can be checked out from the Brown County Library System at their Central Library (downtown Green Bay) and Kress Library (De Pere) branches.
Cornell lived in De Pere, Wisconsin
De Pere ( ) is a city located in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 25,410 according to the 2020 Census. De Pere is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
At the arrival of the first European, Je ...
, until his death at the age of 89 in 2009.
Cornell is buried on the grounds of the St. Norbert Abbey
St. Norbert Abbey is a Roman Catholic monastery of Canons Regular of Premontre, located in De Pere, Wisconsin. The Abbey is named after Saint Norbert of Xanten (c. 1180–1134), the founder of the order, after whom, members are known as, "Norber ...
.
References
External links
Profile in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Inventory of Fr. Robert J. Cornell's Papers (collected by the Wisconsin Historical Society)
List of Published Works at the Brown County Library
Green Bay Press Gazette Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornell, Robert John
1919 births
2009 deaths
People from Gladstone, Michigan
20th-century American educators
People from De Pere, Wisconsin
Premonstratensians
St. Norbert College alumni
St. Norbert College faculty
Catholic University of America alumni
Catholics from Wisconsin
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin
20th-century American politicians
Catholics from Michigan
20th-century American Roman Catholic priests