James Cornwall

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Lieutenant Colonel James Kennedy "Peace River Jim" Cornwall (born: 1861 Brantford, Ontario - died: 1955) was a politician from Alberta, Canada.

Cornwall ran as a Alberta Liberal Party candidate in the 1905 Alberta general election. He won the Peace River electoral district over Conservative L. Dubac. The election victory was short lived as there were significant irregularities in the vote and a new writ was ordered. In the ensuing rerun of 1905 election he would run again to try and win his seat back. In that election he would face another Liberal candidate Thomas Brick, who easily defeated him.

Cornwall would be returned to the Alberta Legislature by acclimation in the 1909 Alberta general election and hold the seat for 1 term as a member of the Liberal party. Cornwall would be sued while still a member in the Legislature. On May 13, 1910 he filed his defense in provincial court. Cornwall was named in a lawsuit by Toronto business man Alfred Hawes who was looking to recuperate more than $250,000.00 lost in transactions from the Great Waters Railway Scandal. ^[1] The same scandal would cause the resignation of the entire Rutherford cabinet days later. Cornwall would leave the Liberal cabinet and sit as an Independent.

At the outbreak of World War I, Cornwall went to fight overseas while he was over in Europe he would run in the 1917 Alberta general election non-partisan Soldiers' and nurses vote. He ended up finishing fourth in a large field of candidates.

After the war Cornwall attempted to run once more for a seat in the provincial legislature. He ran in a by-election in the Athabasca district in a 1920 by-election as an Independent. He was easily defeated by Alberta Liberal George Mills.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Glenbow Museum biography James Cornwall

Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Preceded by New District	MLA Peace River 1905	Succeeded by Thomas Brick
Preceded by Thomas Brick	MLA Peace River 1909-1913	Succeeded by Alphaeus Patterson