{{Short description|American politician and judge (1808–1883)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Cornelius Staley | image = Cornelius Staley (1882) (cropped).png | alt = | caption = Staley in a 1882 publication | state_delegate = Maryland | district = Frederick County | term_start = 1841 | term_end = 1842 | alongside = Daniel S. Biser, John W. Geyer, James M. Schley, John H. Simmons | predecessor = Edward A. Lynch, William Lynch, Joshua Motter, David W. Naill, Davis Richardson | successor = Daniel S. Biser, Thomas Crampton, William Lynch, James J. McKeehan, Davis Richardson | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|1808|10|22}} | birth_place = near Frederick, Maryland, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1883|3|13|1808|10|22}} | death_place = near Frederick, Maryland, U.S. | resting_place = | party = | spouse = {{marriage|Ruanna Snively|1829}} | children = 2 | education = | alma_mater = | occupation = {{hlist|Politician|farmer|judge}} | signature = }}
'''Cornelius Staley''' (October 22, 1808 – March 13, 1883) was an American politician and judge from Maryland. He served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Frederick County from 1841 to 1842.
==Early life== Cornelius Staley was born on October 22, 1808, near Frederick, Maryland, to Margaret and John Staley. He attended common schools and was part of the United Brethren in Christ church.<ref name="western">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofwestern01scha/page/n617/mode/2up |title=History of Western Maryland |volume=1 |last=Scharf |first=J. Thomas |year=1882 |publisher=Louis H. Everts |page=557 |via=Archive.org |access-date=2024-03-21}}{{Open access}}</ref>
==Career== Staley was appointed by the Maryland governor as justice of the peace in 1836. He remained in that role for three years.<ref name="western"/> He served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Frederick County from 1841 to 1842.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/speccol/sc2600/sc2685/house/html/frhouse.html |title=Historical List, House of Delegates, Frederick County (1790-1974) |website=Maryland Manual On-Line |publisher=Maryland State Archives |date=2024-03-20 |access-date=2024-03-21}}</ref> In 1843, he was a member of the board of commissioners of Frederick County.<ref name="western"/><ref name="obit">{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-frederick-county-14-m/143861435/ |title=Frederick County |date=1883-03-14 |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=2024-03-21}}{{Open access}}</ref>
In 1844, Staley served as first lieutenant in the Ringgold Dragoons.<ref name="western"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Laws Made and Passed by the General Assembly of the State of Maryland|year=1847|url={{Google books|ffZQAQAAMAAJ|page=197|plainurl=yes}}|access-date=2024-03-22|via=Google Books}}{{Open access}}</ref> He served as judge of the orphans' court.<ref name="obit"/> He was director of the Farmers and Mechanics' National Bank and worked as a farmer.<ref name="obit"/> He was president of the Frederick County Agricultural Society from 1859 to 1860.<ref name="western"/>
==Personal life== Staley married Ruanna Snively, daughter of Adam Snively, of Washington County on November 17, 1829.<ref name="western"/> He had two daughters, Mrs. Antoinette Frances Gambrill and Mrs. Marietta C. Doub.<ref name="western"/><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-funeral-of-judge-stale/143861676/ |title=Funeral of Judge Staley |date=1883-03-16 |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=2024-03-21}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="gambrill">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/freestateofmaryl02kumm/page/608/mode/2up |title=The Free State of Maryland: A History of the State and its People, 1634–1941 |last1=Kummer |first1=Frederic Arnold |last2=Latrobe |first2=Ferdinand C. |year=1941 |publisher=The Historical Record Association |pages=608–611 |via=Archive.org |access-date=2024-03-22}}{{Open access}}</ref> His daughter Antoinette married James Henry Gambrill Jr., a milling businessman in Frederick.<ref name="gambrill"/>
Staley died on March 13, 1883, at his home near Frederick.<ref name="obit"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{commons category-inline}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Staley, Cornelius}} Category:1808 births Category:1883 deaths Category:People from Frederick County, Maryland Category:Members of the Maryland House of Delegates Category:Farmers from Maryland Category:American justices of the peace Category:County commissioners in Maryland Category:19th-century American farmers Category:19th-century Maryland state court judges Category:19th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly