Cornelius Ennis
Cotton shipper and railroad executive
About Cornelius Ennis
Lived 1813 – 1899 (aged 85–86).
Cornelius Ennis (September 26, 1813 – February 13, 1899) was a cotton shipper and railroad executive who served as Mayor of Houston, Texas. His shipping enterprise ran Union blockades during the American Civil War.
Early life and career He was born September 26, 1813, in Belleville, New Jersey where he grew up and received his education.
Civil War era blockade running In the Civil War he shipped cotton to Cuba and to England via Mexico despite the Union Navy's blockade.
Ennis, Texas, developed as a northern base of operations of the railroad he directed, is named for him. Several other towns in Texas were named for the railroad's directors.
Two of his daughters married into newspaper publishing families.
Conservative TV talk show host Tucker Carlson is his 3× great-grandson.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Cornelius Ennis's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Cornelius Ennis?
cotton shipper and railroad executive
When was Cornelius Ennis born?
Cornelius Ennis was born in 1813.
When did Cornelius Ennis die?
Cornelius Ennis died in 1899.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Cornelius Ennis. https://biography.guide/cornelius-ennis/
MLA: "Cornelius Ennis." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/cornelius-ennis/.
Chicago: "Cornelius Ennis." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/cornelius-ennis/.
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