William Manon Cornett
William "Manon" Cornett was a Kentucky politician and served as Chief of Staff to Congressman John W. Langley from 1912 to 1914. and Deputy Insurance Commissioner for the State of Kentucky from 1921 to 1924.[1]
Manon was born on September 9, 1882, in Cornettsville, Kentucky (near Hazard) on September 9, 1882, and died May 3, 1956.
Early life
[edit]Manon Cornett was the eldest child of Eli H. Cornett and Jane Combs Cornett. In 1900 at the age of 18 he was listed as a 'farmer'[2] At 19, he attended the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, for one year.[3] In 1903 he married Clara Belle Eversole[4] and had three (3) children: Juanita Nell Cornett (wife of Arch Glass Mainous), Joseph E. Cornett, and Claribel Cornett. Manon's father, Eli H. Cornett, was Sheriff of Perry County, Kentucky.[5]
Life in Washington, DC
[edit]In 1912 he was appointed the private secretary (i.e. Chief of Staff) for Congressman John W. Langley and lived in Washington, D.C., at 1801 1st Street, NW though 1915.[6][7][8] While in Washington he was involved with an organization called the 'Sons of Jonadab'[9]
Life in Frankfort, Kentucky
[edit]After his stint with Congressman Langley, Manon and his family returned to Hazard, Kentucky. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed Deputy Insurance Commissioner by the incoming Republican Governor Edwin P. Morrow, a post he held for 4 years (ending in January 1924). While in Frankfort, he lived at 416 West Main Street.[10] During this period, Manon was published in various news articles discussing various Insurance Matters.[11][12][13]
At the Kentucky underwriters meeting held at Frankfort, Kentucky he gave a headline speech on January 13, 1921, that was covered on the front page of The State Journal.[14] Later in the year, he attended the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Annual convention in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 27, 1921.
After politics
[edit]Manon left politics in 1924 at the age of 36 returning to Hazard, Kentucky.[15] By trade, he was a lawyer. He died on May 3, 1956, at the Shady Grove Sanitarium in Eminence, Kentucky. He is buried in Hillcrest Memorial Park in Lexington, Kentucky with his family.
References
[edit]- ^ History of Kentucky by Judge Charles Kerr, Volume 5, Page 307 and 308 published by the American Historical Society, 1922 https://archive.org/details/historyofkentuck05kerr
- ^ 1900 Kentucky Census, Perry County, Kentucky
- ^ History of Kentucky by Judge Charles Kerr, Volume 5, Page 307 and 308 published by the American Historical Society, 1922
- ^ October 13, 1903, Hazard, Perry County, Ky marriage certificate.
- ^ Sheriff's of Perry County, Kentucky: Eli H. Cornett (1898-1902) http://hazardkentucky.com/more/sherifflist.htm Archived 2015-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 1912 Washington DC City directory
- ^ 1913 Washington DC City directory
- ^ 1914 Washington DC City Directory
- ^ December 13, 1913, Washington Post, Washington, DC
- ^ 1922 Frankfort City Directory
- ^ March 3, 1921, The Clay City Times, Clay City, Kentucky
- ^ February 24, 1922, Mountain Advocate
- ^ March 9, 1921, Breckinridge Times
- ^ January 13, 1921 The State Journal, Frankfort, Kentucky 'Insurance Men hear Speech of Manon Cornett'
- ^ 1930 Hazard, Perry County, Census