Thomas Ramsey Cornelius (November 16, 1827 – June 24, 1899) was a prominent American politician and soldier in the early history of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. Born in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, he moved to the

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been created by the Treaty of 1818, co ...

with his family as a young man, where he fought in the Cayuse War and Yakima Indian War against the Native Americans. He settled in Washington County near what later became Cornelius, named in his honor. A Whig and later a Republican, he served in the Oregon Territorial Legislature where following statehood, he served in the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...

. In the Senate, he served one term as the president of that chamber. He also built the

Cornelius Pass Road Cornelius Pass Road is an arterial road over Cornelius Pass in the Tualatin Mountains west of Portland, Oregon, United States, also extending several miles to the south. Running north–south, the road stretches between U.S. Route 30 (US 30 ...

that bears his name. He was the father of Benjamin P. Cornelius, who was also prominent in state politics.

Early life

Cornelius was born in

, on November 16, 1827, to Elizabeth and Benjamin Cornelius.Corning, Howard M. (1989). ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, p. 63. In 1845, Thomas and his family traveled over the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what ...

to the

and set up a farm on the

Tualatin Plains The Tualatin Plains are a prairie area in central Washington County, Oregon, United States. Located around the Hillsboro and Forest Grove areas, the plains were first inhabited by the Atfalati band of the Kalapuya group of Native Americans. Euro ...

, north of what would become the community of Cornelius. After the Whitman Massacre in late 1847, Thomas volunteered for the militia of the Oregon Provisional Government in 1848.Lang, H. O. (1885)
''History of the Willamette Valley, Being a Description of the Valley and its Resources, with an Account of its Discovery and Settlement by White Men, and its Subsequent History Together with Personal Reminiscences of its Early Pioneers''.
Portland, Or: G.H. Himes, pp. 634-635. The militia prosecuted the Cayuse War in an attempt to punish those responsible for the killings at the Whitman Mission. After

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

was discovered in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, Cornelius journeyed there for a brief time, returning to the Oregon Territory in 1849. The next year, he married Florentine Wilkes, and they had six children together before she died in 1864, including son

Benjamin Benjamin ( he, ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's thir ...

. The family would settle on of their Donation Land Claim near Cornelius. In 1855, a second war against the Native Americans started east of the Cascade Mountains against the Yakima tribe. Cornelius volunteered again for the militia. For three months, he led a company with the rank of

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

before being elected as

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

after James W. Nesmith resigned his commission. Cornelius continued as colonel until the end of the war in 1856. During this campaign, his troops waged war indiscriminately against any natives found in the area. In one case, a Nez Perce native was accused of being a spy and summarily hanged, which alarmed members of the U.S. military.

Political career

In 1856, Cornelius was elected to upper chamber of the Oregon Territorial Legislature, called the Council.Oregon Legislative Assembly (8th Territorial) 1856 Regular Session.
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on November 4, 2007. Serving as a Whig, he represented Washington, Columbia, and Multnomah counties in District 8. He won re-election to the Council in 1857Oregon Legislative Assembly (9th Territorial) 1857 Regular Session.
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on November 4, 2007. and again in 1858 to the final session of the territorial legislature.Oregon Legislative Assembly (10th Territorial) 1858 Regular Session.
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on November 4, 2007. In 1859, he continued holding office in the newly formed

after Oregon entered the Union on February 14, 1859 as the 33rd state. In the Oregon Senate, Cornelius continued as a Republican, representing Washington County and several other counties through the 1874 legislature. His service was interrupted by the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

during 1862 session, when he was authorized by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

to raise a

regiment of cavalry A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service and/or a administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large bod ...

for federal service. He was chosen as colonel of the troops and they deployed to a military post at Walla Walla, Washington, where he assumed command. He resigned during the summer of 1862 and returned home. During the 1866 legislature, Cornelius was selected as President of the Oregon Senate. In 1886, he won the Republican nomination for Governor of Oregon, but lost the general election to

Sylvester Pennoyer Sylvester Pennoyer (July 6, 1831May 30, 1902) was an American educator, attorney, and politician in Oregon. He was born in Groton (town), New York, Groton, New York (state), New York, attended Harvard Law School, and moved to Oregon at age 25. A H ...

Later life and family

After his first wife died in 1864, Cornelius remarried in 1866 to Missouri A. Smith. In 1872, he moved to Cornelius, which would be renamed after him, and opened a store. In addition to the store, Cornelius owned a total of , including covering three farms, a warehouse, and a sawmill. He built the

that linked the

Tualatin Valley The Tualatin Valley is a farming and suburban region southwest of Portland, Oregon in the United States. The valley is formed by the meandering Tualatin River, a tributary of the Willamette River at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley, ...

to the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

. Cornelius died on June 24, 1899, at the age of 71. He was buried at the Cornelius Methodist Church Cemetery.Taylor, Joshua
Cemetery Photos; Cornelius Methodist Church Cemetery: Washington Co., Oregon A - M.
RootsWeb. Retrieved on August 2, 2008.

References

External links

Cornelius, OregonGrowth of early Cornelius
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornelius, Thomas R. Members of the Oregon Territorial Legislature 19th-century American legislators People from Missouri People from Cornelius, Oregon Cayuse War 1827 births 1899 deaths Presidents of the Oregon State Senate Oregon pioneers Oregon Republicans Oregon Whigs