# William H. Cornwell

William Henry Cornwell (May 30, 1843 – November 18, 1903) was an American businessman, as well as a military colonel and politician of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He served two separate terms as Minister of Finance and was a member of Queen Liliuokalani's last cabinet before the Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

## Early life

He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and relocated to Hawaii at an early age with his family where they became involved in sheep ranching in Waimea. He formed a partnership with James Louzada for a sugar cane plantation on Maui, which was later sold to Claus Spreckels. Cornwell became a horse breeder, president of the Hawaiian Jockey Club, and a participant in the sport of horse racing.

## Political career

Cornwell held the rank of Major and later Colonel, as a staff member under both King Kalākaua and Queen Liliuokalani. During the 1890 legislative assembly, Cornwell served as a member of the House of Nobles, the upper house of the legislature, for the island of Maui. He continued his term in the House during the legislative session of 1892–93, which became known as the "Longest Legislature" for its unprecedented duration of 171 days. On November 1, 1892, he was appointed by Queen Liliuokalani as Minister of Finance and to form the short lived Cornwell Cabinet which consisted of Joseph Nāwahī, Charles T. Gulick and Charles F. Creighton. This cabinet existed for less than a day when it was ousted by the legislature with a vote of 26 to 13. He was re-elected to his vacant legislative seat on December 5.
On January 13, 1893, Queen Liliuokalani re-appointed him as Minister of Finance to the Parker Cabinet with Samuel Parker, John F. Colburn and Arthur P. Peterson after the previous Wilcox cabinet was voted out by the legislature the day before. She had chosen these men specifically to support her plan of promulgating a new constitution while the legislature was not in session.
Publisher and philanthropist Thurston Twigg-Smith, the grandson of annexation leader Lorrin A. Thurston, made the case that Cornwell was part of a royal inner cabal of the queen's own cabinet ministers who worked to oust the monarchy. She attempted to promulgate a new constitution, but Cornwell and the rest of the cabinet were either opposed to or reluctant to sign the new constitution. Their opposition was one of the causes which ultimately led to her overthrow by the Committee of Safety headed by Thurston. After the overthrow, Cornwell and the rest of the Parker Cabinet were removed from office.
After the overthrow of the monarchy and the annexation of Hawaii to the United States, Cornwell became a member of the Democratic Party and served as a delegate to 1900 Democratic National Convention for the Territory of Hawaii. He died at his home at Waikapu, Maui, on November 18, 1903, of heart disease. His remains were taken to Honolulu for his funeral and he was buried at the Oahu Cemetery in Honolulu.

## Personal life

He married twice: Blanche Macfarlane (1853–1880) and Josephine Colvin, who survived him, and had three children by his first wife: William Henry Cornwell, Jr., Blanche C. Walker. wife of J. S. Walker, Jr.; and Kate J. Braymer, wife of A. A. Braymer.

## Citations

* 1 2 3 4 "Death of Col Cornwell". The Hawaiian Star. Vol. XI, no. 3639. Honolulu. November 18, 1903. p. 1.; "Topics of the Day". The Independent. Vol. XVII, no. 2664. Honolulu. November 18, 1903. p. 2.; "Sad News of Death Of Col. Cornwell Comes By Wireless". Evening Bulletin. Vol. XIV, no. 2615. Honolulu. November 18, 1903. p. 1.; "Death of Col. Cornwell". Evening Bulletin. Vol. XIV, no. 2615. Honolulu. November 18, 1903. p. 8.; "Death has been busy..." The Hawaiian Star. Vol. XI, no. 3640. Honolulu. November 19, 1903. p. 4.; "Died". The Hawaiian Star. Vol. XI, no. 3640. Honolulu. November 19, 1903. p. 7.; "The death of Colonel Wm. H. Cornwell..." The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 6641. Honolulu. November 19, 1903. p. 4.; "Col. Wm. H. Cornwell Dies At Waikapu Ranch". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 6641. Honolulu. November 19, 1903. p. 8.; "Col. Wm. H. Cornwell Dies At Waikapu Ranch". The Hawaiian Gazette. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 95. Honolulu. November 20, 1903. p. 2.; "The Late Col. Cornwell". The Independent. Vol. XVII, no. 2667. Honolulu. November 21, 1903. p. 2.; "W. H. Cornwell Dead – Old Timers Dies at Waikapu After Short Illness". The Hilo Tribune. Vol. 9, no. 4. Hilo. November 27, 1903. p. 6.; "The death of Col. W. H. Cornwell removes..." The Maui News. Vol. VIII, no. 14. Wailuku. November 21, 1903. p. 2.; "Death of Col. W. H. Cornwell". The Maui News. Vol. VIII, no. 14. Wailuku. November 21, 1903. p. 3. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
* ↑ Hawaii & Lydecker 1918, p. 178.
* ↑ Kuykendall 1967, p. 557.
* ↑ Hawaii & Lydecker 1918, p. 182.
* ↑ "Cornwell, William H. office record". state archives digital collections. state of Hawaii. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
* ↑ "A New Cabinet – Some New Ministers for the Public to Swallow". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Vol. XVII, no. 3277. Honolulu. January 14, 1893. p. 4. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
* ↑ Kuykendall 1967, pp. 581–583
* ↑ Twigg-Smith 1998, p. 61
* ↑ Twigg-Smith 1998, pp. 64–67
* ↑ Hawaii & Lydecker 1918, p. 188; "A Provisional Government". The Daily Bulletin. Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands. January 18, 1893. Retrieved November 6, 2016 – via Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
* ↑ Grave Marker of William H. Cornwell. Honolulu, HI: Oahu Cemetery.
* ↑ "Col. Cornwell's Body Arrives – Remains Of Dead National Committeeman Brought From Maui On The Mauna Loa". The Hawaiian Star. Vol. XI, no. 3641. Honolulu. November 20, 1903. p. 5.; "Freak Of Sea Off Punaluu". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 6643. Honolulu. November 21, 1903. p. 7.; "Cornwell Funeral – Services at the Central Union Church on Sunday". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 6642. Honolulu. November 20, 1903. p. 9.; "Col. Cornwell's Funeral Sunday". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 6643. Honolulu. November 21, 1903. p. 3.; "Cornwell Funeral – Services at the Central Union Church on Sunday – The Masonic Ritual Is Also Carried Out – Interment Made in Family Plot at Nuuanu Cemetery – Friends Turn Out in Force". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 6644. Honolulu. November 23, 1903. p. 4.; "Cornwell Funeral – Services at the Central Union Church on Sunday". The Hawaiian Gazette. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 96. Honolulu. November 24, 1903. p. 2.; "The Cornwell Funeral". The Hawaiian Star. Vol. XI, no. 3642. Honolulu. November 21, 1903. p. 2.; "Funeral of W. H. Cornwell – Services At Masonic Temple And Central Union Church – Interment in Nuuanu". The Hawaiian Star. Vol. XI, no. 3643. Honolulu. November 23, 1903. p. 7.; "Topics of the Day". The Independent. Vol. XVII, no. 2670. Honolulu. November 25, 1903. p. 2. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
* ↑ "W. H. Cornwell's Will". Evening Bulletin. Vol. XIV, no. 2624. Honolulu. November 30, 1903. p. 4. Retrieved November 13, 2016.