Cornelius Walsh

Cornelius Walsh (1817 – September 20, 1879) was an American Republican Party politician and trunk manufacturer from New Jersey.

Walsh was born in England and emigrated to the United States with his parents as a child. He went to work at an early age, serving as an apprentice in a silver-plating business in Newark, New Jersey. He married Sarah Brown of Belleville and worked as a journeyman in Paterson.

Returning to Newark, he and his brother-in-law, William Brown, formed a partnership to manufacture trunk rivets. Walsh continued the enterprise alone and expanded his trunk business until he had a large factory with 200 employees.

In the 1871 gubernatorial race, Walsh faced the Democratic candidate, Joel Parker, who had previously served a term as governor from 1863 to 1866. Parker defeated Walsh by a margin of six thousand votes.

Walsh's defeat led to a decline in his business fortunes, and he lost most of his previous wealth. He died in 1879 at his home in Newark.