Cornelius Hankins

Cornelius Hankins (1863-1946) was an American painter. He painted agrarian landscapes of Tennessee and portraits of Confederate veterans and politicians.

Early life Cornelius Hankins was born on July 12, 1863, in Itawamba County, Mississippi. His father was Edward Locke Hankins and his mother, Annie Mary McFadden. Meanwhile, he began exhibiting his work. By March 1902, his paintings were exhibited at the University Club in Nashville. A decade later, in November 1912, they were exhibited at the Centennial Club.

Hankins painted a portrait of Sumner Archibald Cunningham, the founder of the Confederate Veteran. He also painted a portrait of Caroline Meriwether Goodlett, the founding president of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Additionally, he painted a portrait of Confederate General Robert E. Lee for the Tennessee General Assembly in 1901. He also painted a portrait of Julia A. Sears, a founding faculty member of the Peabody College for Teachers (now part of Vanderbilt University), which was placed in the chapel in 1904. Additionally, Hankins painted a portrait of William Lofland Dudley, the founding dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; it was donated by local alumni to Vanderbilt University in 1915.

According to the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, "At the time of his death, nine of his portraits were hanging in the Tennessee State Capitol, six in the Alabama State Capitol, two in the Mississippi State Capitol, and one in the Louisiana State Capitol." They had two daughters, Eleanor Hankins, known professionally as Hank Fort, who became a renowned singer, and Dorothy Churchill Hankins Wood.

Death Hankins died on May 12, 1946, in Nashville, Tennessee. He was buried at the Mount Olivet Cemetery.