Editing Samuel Cornish

{{Short description|American minister and journalist (1795–1858)}}
{{distinguish|text=British naval commander [[Sir Samuel Cornish, 1st Baronet]]}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Samuel  Cornish
| image              = Samuel Cornish in 1825 by Francis Kearney.jpg
| alt                = Black and white engraving of a young, seated Black man with a dark coat holding a book
| caption            = 1825 engraving by [[Francis Kearney]]
| birthname          = Samuel Eli Cornish
| birth_date         = 1795
| birth_place        = [[Sussex County, Delaware|Sussex County]], [[Delaware]], United States
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1858|11|06|1795}}
| death_place        = [[Brooklyn, New York]], United States
| education          = 
| occupation         = [[Journalist]]
| credits            = ''[[Freedom's Journal]]''<br>''[[The Colored American (New York City)|Colored American]]''<br>''Rights of All''
}}

'''Samuel Eli Cornish''' (1795 – November 6, 1858) was an American [[Presbyterian minister]], [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]], [[publisher]], and [[journalist]].  He was a leader in New York City's small [[Free Negro|free black]] community, where he organized the first congregation of black Presbyterians in New York.<ref>Hudson, Wade, ''Powerful Words'' (2004), New York: Scholastic Inc., p. 13.</ref> In 1827 he became one of two editors of the newly founded ''[[Freedom's Journal]]'', the first black newspaper in the United States. In 1833 he was a founding member of the interracial [[American Anti-Slavery Society]].

==Biography==

===Early life and education===
Cornish was born in [[Sussex County (Delaware)|Sussex County]], [[Delaware]], in 1795, to [[Free Negro|free]] parents of mixed race. As a young man, in 1815 he moved to [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], which had a large community of free blacks.  After moving to [[New York City]] in 1856, Cornish organized the first congregation of black [[Presbyterians]] in the city.

===Career===
When Cornish was ordained in 1822, his parish was officially established as the New Demeter Street Presbyterian Church, making it the first black Presbyterian Church in New York City. He later ministered at the First African Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, and Emmanuel Church in New York City. Cornish held high-ranking positions within the [[American Bible Society]] and the [[American Missionary Association]], founded in 1846. He was one of the four founding black members; there were a total of 12 founders.

In March 1827 he became one of two editors of ''[[Freedom's Journal]]'', the first black newspaper in the United States. The other editor was [[John Russwurm]].<ref>{{cite book |last=James |first=Winston |title=The Struggles of John Brown Russwurm |year=2010 |location=New York, NY |publisher=New York University Press |isbn=978-0-8147-4289-1 |page=25}}</ref> It was intended to serve the 300,000 free blacks in the country and especially New York's community, as well as to offset the racist commentary of local papers in the city.<ref>{{cite book |last=James |title=The Struggles of John Brown Russwurm |year=2010 |location= |publisher= |isbn= |pages=28–29}}</ref> Cornish left the paper in September 1827, likely due to pressure from Presbyterian colleagues [[Samuel Miller (theologian)|Samuel Miller]] and [[Archibald Alexander]] over attacks against the [[American Colonization Society]] by Russwurm in the paper.<ref>{{cite book |last=James |title=The Struggles of John Brown Russwurm |year=2010 |location= |publisher= |isbn= |pages=41–42}}</ref>

During the two years Russwurm was in sole charge of ''Freedom's Journal'', he reversed his position on colonization and lost many readers. He emigrated to [[Liberia]] in 1829. Cornish returned to the paper and tried to revive it, changing the name to ''[[The Rights of All]],'' but the paper folded in less than a year. Cornish later was editor for the ''Weekly Advocate'', later renamed the ''[[The Colored American (New York City)|Colored American]]'', from 1837 to 1839. The paper was owned by [[Philip Alexander Bell]].<ref name="PBS">[https://www.pbs.org/blackpress/news_bios/newbios/nwsppr/freedom/freedom.html "Freedom's Journal"], ''Black Press'', PBS, n.d. Retrieved May 30, 2012.</ref>

In 1833 Cornish was one of the founding members of the [[American Anti-Slavery Society]], whose membership and leaders were interracial. He was active with them until 1840. That year, he left to join the newly formed [[American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society]], largely because of disputes with [[William Lloyd Garrison]] over religion in the [[Abolitionism in the United States|Abolitionist movement]]. Cornish used his position as a journalist and editor to inform the public on the issues involving abolitionism.

=== Personal life ===
Samuel Cornish married Jane Livingston in 1824 in New York City, where he lived most of his life. The couple had four children.

Cornish died on November 6, 1858, in [[Brooklyn, New York]]. He was 63 years old.

==See also==
* [[List of African-American abolitionists]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Dann, Martin. ''The Black Press, 1827-1890: The Quest for National Identity''. New York: G.P. Putnam Sons, 1971.
*Penn, I. Garland. ''The Afro-American Press and its Editors''. Salem, New Hampshire: Ayer Company, Publishers, Inc., 1891.

==External links==
*{{cite web | last=Hodges | first=Graham Russell | title=Cornish, Samuel Eli | publisher=American National Biography Online | year=2000 | url=http://www.anb.org/articles/15/15-00147.html | access-date=February 27, 2008}}
*[http://www.spartacus-educational.com/USAScornish.htm Spartacus Educational: Samuel Cornish]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornish, Samuel}}
[[Category:1795 births]]
[[Category:1858 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:19th-century American clergy]]
[[Category:African-American abolitionists]]
[[Category:Abolitionists from New York City]]
[[Category:African-American journalists]]
[[Category:African-American publishers (people)]]
[[Category:African-American Presbyterian ministers]]
[[Category:African-American writers]]
[[Category:American Christian clergy]]
[[Category:American male journalists]]
[[Category:American publishers (people)]]
[[Category:American political writers]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:People from Sussex County, Delaware]]
[[Category:Presbyterian abolitionists]]