Robert John Cornell

Harold Vernon Froehlich
Succeeded by	Toby Roth
Personal details
Born	December 16, 1919 Gladstone, Michigan, U.S.
Died	May 10, 2009 (aged 89) St. Norbert Abbey, De Pere, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	St. Norbert College (BA) Catholic University of America (MA, PhD)
Occupation	Priest, politician, professor
Signature

Robert John Cornell, O.Praem (December 16, 1919 – May 10, 2009) was an American Catholic priest, professor, and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin from 1975 to 1979.^[1]

Early life and education

Robert John Cornell was born in

In the 1960s and 1970s, Cornell organized concerts at the old Brown County Arena (including several that brought Johnny Cash to Green Bay). All proceeds from these concerts benefited local charities.[4]

Political career

Cornell was the chairman of the Eighth Congressional District of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and a member of the State Administrative Committee of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin from 1969 to 1974.^[5]

He first became involved in partisan politics in 1961 after a local group of affluent Catholic laypeople in Green Bay panned a speech he gave on the importance of promoting social justice. He later wrote in his memoir: "After that incident I decided that speaking or teaching about issues of social justice and human rights would not be sufficient. These stalwarts of the Church obviously felt that matters of self-interest took precedence. I decided that only by advocating public policy was there a hope of making needed changes."^[6]

After unsuccessful congressional runs in 1970 and 1972, Cornell was elected as a member of the

In 1980, he decided to seek a rematch against Roth, but abandoned his bid when the Vatican ordered all priests to withdraw from politics.

While in Congress, Cornell served on the

He was the second (after Father Robert Drinan) of only two Roman Catholic priests to serve as a voting representative in the United States Congress.^[12]

Later life

Later in his life, Cornell self-published a memoir entitled Is There A Priest In The House?. The memoir provides an overview of his political career. He focuses primarily on this time in Congress, and discusses many of the issues that he worked on during his tenure. It also includes many witty anecdotes that capture the dry sense of humor that he was known for.^{[citation needed]}

Cornell lived in De Pere, Wisconsin, until his death at the age of 89 in 2009.^[9]

Cornell is buried on the grounds of the St. Norbert Abbey.

References

^[1]

External links