text: thomas r. cornelius thomas ramsey cornelius ( november 16 , 1827 – june 24 , 1899 ) was a prominent american politician and soldier in the early history of oregon . born in missouri , he moved to the oregon country with his family as a young man where he fought in the cayuse war and yakima indian war against the native americans . he settled in washington county near what later became cornelius , named in his honor . a whig and later a republican , he served in the oregon territorial legislature , and following statehood , he served in the oregon state senate . in the senate he served one term as the president of that chamber . he also built the cornelius pass road that bears his name . he was the father of benjamin p. cornelius , who was also prominent in state politics . early life cornelius was born in missouri , on november 16 , 1827 , to elizabeth and benjamin cornelius . in 1845 , thomas and his family traveled over the oregon trail to the oregon country and set up a farm on the tualatin plains , north of what would become the community of cornelius . after the whitman massacre in late 1847 , thomas volunteered for the militia of the oregon provisional government in 1848 . the militia prosecuted the cayuse war in an attempt to punish those responsible for the killings at the whitman mission . after gold was discovered in california , cornelius journeyed there for a brief time , returning to the oregon territory in 1849 . the next year he married florentine wilkes , and they had six children together before she died in 1864 , including son benjamin . the family would settle on 640 acres ( 2 . 6 km2 ) of their donation land claim near cornelius . in 1855 , a second war against the native americans started east of the cascade mountains against the yakima tribe . cornelius volunteered again for the militia . for three months he led a company with the rank of captain before being elected as colonel after james w. nesmith resigned his commission . cornelius continued as colonel until the end of the war in 1856 . political career in 1856 , cornelius was elected to upper chamber of the oregon territorial legislature , called the council . serving as a whig , he represented washington , columbia , and multnomah counties in district 8 . he won re - election to the council in 1857 and again in 1858 to the final session of the territorial legislature . in 1859 , he continued holding office in the newly formed oregon state senate after oregon entered the union on february 14 , 1859 as the 33rd state . in the oregon senate , cornelius continued as a republican representing washington county and several other counties through the 1874 legislature . his service was interrupted by the american civil war during 1862 session , when he was authorized by president abraham lincoln to raise a regiment of cavalry for federal service . he was chosen as colonel of the troops and they deployed to a military post at walla walla , washington , where he assumed command . he resigned during the summer of 1862 and returned home . during the 1866 legislature cornelius was selected as president of the oregon senate . in 1886 , he won the republican nomination for governor of oregon , but lost the general election to sylvester pennoyer . later life and family after his first wife died in 1864 , cornelius remarried in 1866 to missouri a. smith . in 1872 , he moved to cornelius , which would be renamed after him , and opened a store . in addition to the store , cornelius owned a total of 1 , 500 acres ( 6 . 1 km2 ) , including covering three farms , a warehouse , and a sawmill . he built the cornelius pass road that linked the tualatin valley to the columbia river . cornelius died on june 24 , 1899 , at the age of 71 . he was buried at the cornelius methodist church cemetery .