Francis R. E. Cornell

Francis R. E. Cornell
Cornell c. 1875
Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court
In office January 11, 1875 – May 23, 1881
4th Attorney General of Minnesota
In office January 10, 1868 – January 9, 1874
Preceded by	William J. Colvill
Succeeded by	George P. Wilson
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 5th district
In office 1861–1862, 1865
Member of the New York State Senate from the 26th district
In office January 1, 1852 – December 31, 1853
Preceded by	William J. Gilbert
Succeeded by	Andrew B. Dickinson
Personal details
Born	Francis Russell Edward Cornell (1821-11-17)November 17, 1821 Coventry, New York, U.S.
Died	May 23, 1881(1881-05-23) (aged 59) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Alma mater	Union College
Occupation	Politician, lawyer, judge

Francis Russell Edward Cornell (November 17, 1821 – May 23, 1881) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge.

Biography

Cornell was born in 1821 in Coventry in Chenango County, New York. He graduated from Union College in 1842 where he had been a member of The Kappa Alpha Society and studied law before being admitted to the bar in 1845. A lawyer in Addison in Steuben County, he represented the 26th District in the New York State Senate from 1852 to 1853.

Cornell moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1854. Cornell served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from District 5 from 1861 to 1862 and in 1865. Cornell was elected Minnesota Attorney General in 1867 and was reelected twice, serving three terms from January 10, 1868, to January 9, 1874. Cornell was elected associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court in November 1874 and served from January 11, 1875, until his death on May 23, 1881, in Minneapolis.

Legacy

In an article in Minnesota Law & Politics, Cornell was named as one of the "100 most influential attorneys in state history." He was noted as a pioneering trial lawyer who "established his reputation litigating the land claims that arose out of the opening of the government reservation that occupied most of the west side of the Mississippi River at the time" and as an active abolitionist who successfully argued for the freedom of a slave woman who had been brought north to accompany her owner on a visit.