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Cornelius Williams (politician)

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Cornelius Williams
From Portrait and Biographical Album of Racine and Kenosha Counties (1892)
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Kenosha district
In office
January 5, 1880 – January 3, 1881
Preceded byJoseph V. Quarles
Succeeded byWalter Maxwell
Personal details
Born(1819-09-16)September 16, 1819
Copake, New York, U.S.
DiedMarch 27, 1891(1891-03-27) (aged 71)
Bristol, Kenosha County, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeHosmer Cemetery, Bristol, Wisconsin
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Catherine Trafford
(died 1889)
Children
  • Franklin Williams
  • (b. 1844; died 1849)
  • Esther Williams
  • (b. 1847; died 1849)
  • Etta (Hubbard)
  • (b. 1850; died 1877)
  • Clarence E. Williams
  • (b. 1860; died 1929)
OccupationFarmer, teacher

Cornelius Williams (September 16, 1819 – March 27, 1891) was an American farmer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Kenosha County in the 1880 session.

Biography

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Cornelius Williams was born September 16, 1819, in Copake, New York.[1] He was raised and educated on his father's farm and worked for several years as a teacher in Columbia County, New York.[2]

In 1854, he traveled west to Kenosha County, Wisconsin, and purchased a tract of undeveloped land in the town of Bristol. He would cultivate this land into a farm and remain there for the rest of his life. By the time of his death, the farm had grown to 350 acres.[2]

Williams was always a staunch Republican in politics. He served on the Bristol school board and the Kenosha County board of supervisors, and, in 1879, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly on the Republican ticket. He served only one term, and his district comprised all of Kenosha County.[1] He did not run for re-election in 1880.

He died at his home in Bristol on March 27, 1891.[2][3]

Personal life and family

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The Williams family were of Welsh American descent. Cornelius Williams married Catherine Trafford, who was also a native of Columbia County, New York. They had four children together, but their first two children died in the 1846–1860 cholera pandemic. Only one child survived them, their son Clarence.[2]

Clarence E. Williams also went on to serve on the Kenosha County board of supervisors and the Bristol school board.[2]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly (1879)

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Wisconsin Assembly, Kenosha District Election, 1879[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 4, 1879
Republican Cornelius Williams 1,271 59.42% +3.04%
Democratic John Tuttle 868 40.58% −0.55%
Plurality 403 18.84% +3.59%
Total votes 2,139 100.0% -15.49%
Republican hold

References

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  1. ^ a b c Warner, Hans B., ed. (1880). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 516. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Portrait and Biographical Album of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin. Chicago: Lake City Publishing Co. 1892. pp. 235–236. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  3. ^ "Williams". Racine Journal. April 1, 1891. p. 4. Retrieved March 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
[edit]
Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Kenosha district
January 5, 1880 – January 3, 1881
Succeeded by