William B. Cornwell

William Benjamin Cornwell (November 25, 1864 – April 8, 1926) was an American lawyer, businessperson, newspaper editor and publisher, and railroad and timber executive in the U.S. state of West Virginia. He was an older brother of writer and newspaper publisher Marshall S. Cornwell (1871–1898) and of West Virginia Governor John J. Cornwell (1867–1953).

Cornwell studied jurisprudence at the West Virginia University College of Law, and afterward began practicing law in Romney. In 1890, he and his brother, John J. Cornwell, purchased The Review and South Branch Intelligencer newspapers. Following their acquisition of the South Branch Intelligencer, they renamed the newspaper Hampshire Review. In 1900, Cornwell sold his ownership in the Hampshire Review to his brother John. While he owned the newspaper, Cornwell served as the Prosecuting Attorney for Hampshire County (1892–1900). In addition to serving as Prosecuting Attorney, he served as the Commissioner of School Lands for Hampshire County in 1900. In 1902, he relocated to Fairmont, where he engaged in the practice of law until 1910.

He and his brother, John were corporators and shareholders of the South Branch Boom and Lumber Company following its incorporation in 1901. They were also corporators and shareholders of the Potomac White Sand Company of Green Spring following its incorporation in 1902. Cornwell served as the president of the Hampshire Southern Railroad which was constructed under his leadership, beginning in June 1909, and he continued to operate it until 1911 when it was purchased by the Moorefield and Virginia Railroad Company.

Cornwell organized, and became the president of, the Winchester and Western Railroad which had been incorporated in 1916. In addition to serving as the company's president, he also served on its board of directors. In 1921, he also organized a subsidiary, Winchester Lumber Corporation, for the purpose of developing the timber resources of Hampshire and Hardy counties in West Virginia and Frederick County in Virginia. Cornwell served as the president and general manager of the Winchester Lumber Corporation. He died in 1926 in Romney, West Virginia and was interred next to his first wife Nannie and second wife Sophie at Indian Mound Cemetery.

Early life and family William Benjamin Cornwell was born in Hampshire County, West Virginia on November 25, 1864, the eldest child and son of Jacob H. Cornwell and his wife Mary Eleanor Taylor. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved the family west to Ritchie County, West Virginia, where his mother's twin brother John Taylor and uncle Eli Taylor were residing. He commenced practicing law in Romney, and shortly thereafter, was elected Prosecuting Attorney for Hampshire County in 1892, and continued to serve in that position until 1900. In addition to serving as Prosecuting Attorney, Cornwell served as the Commissioner of School Lands for Hampshire County in 1900. Cornwell's second marriage was to Sophie H. Colston (1878–1928) in Martinsburg, West Virginia on June 14, 1899. She was the daughter of W. B. Colston and his wife Minnie Colston of Martinsburg. Cornwell relocated to Fairmont in 1902, and engaged in the practice of law there. In 1906, lawyer Raymond J. Abbaticchio arrived in Fairmont and entered Cornwell's law office and later became a junior member of the law firm of Cornwell & Abbaticchio. who assured the newspaper's subscribers in a November 6, 1890, farewell editorial that the new owners would continue to publish the Review while following "Jeffersonian principles." At the time they purchased the newspaper, The Review used the Wirgman Building's second floor for its offices and printing plant. Later that same year, they purchased The Review'''s rival newspaper in Romney, the South Branch Intelligencer''. Its principal office was located in Romney, West Virginia. The company constructed a log boom on the South Branch Potomac River to collect and contain floating logs timbered from nearby forests. This company engaged in the mining, preparation, manufacturing, and distribution of sand and other extracted minerals. In addition to Cornwell, the company's corporators included his brother John Jacob, Duncan Sinclar, and his law firm partner Raymond J. Abbaticchio. Cornwell made significant improvements to the property, including the construction of a bridge over Mill Creek connecting the residence to U.S. Route 50, and the building of additions to the residence using materials from the property's mill, which had been razed around 1908. Cornwell also built a barn and several other ancillary structures on the property. In addition to serving as the railroad company's president, Cornwell also served on the board of directors of the WWRC.

Winchester Lumber Corporation Gravestone at the interment site of William B. Cornwell at Indian Mound Cemetery in Romney, West Virginia. Cornwell organized the subsidiary Winchester Lumber Corporation (WLC) in 1921 for the purpose of developing the timber resources of Hampshire and Hardy counties in West Virginia and Frederick County in Virginia. Cornwell served as the president and general manager of the WLC, and planned the construction of twenty sawmills, several general woodworking and finishing plants, power stations, and a cooperage plant.

In December 1923, while visiting the Winchester residence of W. A. Baker, a fellow director of the Winchester and Western Railroad, Cornwell was rendered unconscious after a large longcase clock in a hallway toppled over, striking him on the head, and knocking him down. The longcase clock inflicted a severe wound to the back of Cornwell's head. He received first aid treatment from a physician present at the residence and was taken to his Winchester home where he regained consciousness.

Cornwell died as a result of ventricular hypertrophy at 5:00 p.m. on April 8, 1926, in Romney, West Virginia. Dr. Robert W. Dailey had attended Cornwell from March 13, 1925, until his death. Cornwell was interred on April 10, 1926, next to his first wife Nannie and second wife Sophie at Indian Mound Cemetery in Romney.