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Edward & Hilda (Kalhert) Cornish
Ed Cornish (1871 - 1928), a prominent Arkansas
banker, was president of the German
Trust Company, and later president of the
American Bank of Commerce and
Trust Company. He committed suicide in
1928, after suffering major financial losses, leaving a wife and six
children to mourn him. He is one of the few people in Arkansas
to have a a bust sculpture, which indicates that he was well thought
of, even in death. It is located at his grave site in Oakland
Cemetery in Little Rock.
Mr. Cornish married his first wife, Nona
Lambert, on September 9, 1891. He lost her and two children in
1898:
"Pine Bluff Weekly Commercial Oct 1, 1898" - Today’s
Gazette gives an account of the terrible affliction of Mr. Ed Cornish of
Little Rock in the loss of his wife and two children within sixteen
hours. Monday night little Ruth, the 6 year old daughter, died, and
yesterday morning Mrs. Cornish and
a little babe followed. Mrs. Cornish before
her marriage was a Miss Nora [sic] of Monticello, and has many
friends and acquaintances in this city who will be pained to learn
of her death. The above is, indeed, a sad incident to chronicle.
His second, more well known wife, Hilda
Cornish (1878-1965) was prominent in social and political issues of
the day. She was a leader in advocating birth control even though
she
had six children (one of whom died in infancy) and was
known as a founder of Planned Parenthood of
Arkansas.
The news articles & photographs are
provided by descendant
Julie Morin - morin1@cox.net
Arkansas Gazette November 6, 1928
FOUND DEAD WITH PISTOL WOUND THROUGH HIS HEAD
EDWARD CORNISH TAKES
HIS OWN LIFE
Former Little Rock Banker Found Dead in Hotel at New Orleans
New Orleans, Nov 5 – Edward Cornish,
aged 57, of Little Rock, was found shot through the temple in his
room in a downtown hotel tonight. A preliminary police report said
that Mr.Cornish killed
himself.
The body was found by a messenger for the Interstate Bank and Trust
Company, who had been looking for the former banker all afternoon
and finally appealed to the hotel manager to admit him to the room.
Mr. Cornish was
slumped in a chair, still grasping a 45 caliber automatic pistol.
Though the banker left two farewell notes addressed to his wife at
1806 Arch street, Little Rock, apprising her that he was leaving his
fortune to her alone, he gave no reason for the decision to take his
life. Coroner George Roeling said that a file of papers found in
Mr.Cornish’s
effects indicated that he had sustained financial reverses. With
the papers was an itemized statement of his holdings in municipal
and government bonds. In one of the notes, Mr. Cornish told
his wife he was leaving everything to her. In the other, he
reflected philosophically on life, and expressed his love for his
wife and children.
Mr. Cornish registered
at the hotel at 8 o’clock this morning. He went immediately to the
room assigned and it is believed that he did not leave it. After
examining the body coroner’s physicians placed the time of death at
around the noon hour. No one in the hotel was located who heard the
shot.
Mr. Cornish was
en route from Little Rock to West Palm Beach, when he stopped in New
Orleans today.
[the following was part of the overall article – it followed the
notice of his death]
Mr Cornish Once
Headed State’s Largest Bank
Edward Cornish,
1806 Arch street, who ended his life yesterday in New Orleans, was
actively identified with banks of Little Rock from 1900 until 1924,
and for many years was the head of Arkansas’ largest financial
institution.
A native Arkansan, he was born in Drew county October 25, 1871, the
son of Eli and Sarah Jane (family records indicate her name was
"Josephine" not "Jane" Benton Cornish.
After graduating from the high school at Monticello, he attended a
business college in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., before beginning his
business career in Little Rock. His first position here was that of
bookkeeper for Wolf & Bro., a clothing concern.
In 1900 he and the late J. E. England, Sr., organized the banking
and real estate firm of
Cornish & England.
About four years later, this concern was dissolved and Mr. Cornish
became president of the American bank.
In 1911, the first of a series of important bank mergers in which
Mr. Cornish was
interested, occurred. The American bank was combined with the
German National bank, an older and larger institution and Mr. Cornish was
made vice president. He also served as president of the German
Trust Company, which functioned independently of the German National
Bank.
In 1917, while the World War was in progress, these two institutions
changed their names to American Trust Company and American National
bank. Two years later, they were consolidated with the Bank of
Commerce, the American Bank of Commerce and Trust Company being
formed. From 1921 to 1924, Mr. Cornish was
president of this bank, the largest in the state.
He severed his connection with it in 1924 when he disposed of his
holdings to A. B. Banks at the time the American Bank of Commerce
and Trust Company and the Southern Trust Company merged, taking the
name of the American Southern Trust Company, which is still
retained. For only a short time, Mr. Cornish remained
as chairman of the board.
Upon leaving the bank here, Mr. Cornish accepted
the presidency of the National Cottonseed Products Corporation of
which he was one of the organizers. Its principal offices were in
Memphis, Tenn. And he made his headquarters there. For
approximately two years, he continued as president of the new
cottonseed products corporation, with plants in several states.
His last executive position was with the First National Bank and
Trust Company of West Palm Beach, Fla., of which he was president
when it closed several months ago.
Mr. Cornish is
survived by his wife, who before her marriage July 20, 1902 was Miss
Hilda Kahler [sic] of St. Louis, Mo., and by six children, Mrs. Raymond F.
Low of Omaha, Neb., a daughter by Mr. Cornish’s
first marriage; Mrs. James M. Coates, the Misses Sylvia and Miriam Cornish,
and Don Cornish,
all of Little Rock, and Edward Cornish,
Jr. of New York City. Funeral arrangements had not been made last
night.
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