Erastus Corning (December 14, 1794 – April 9, 1872) was an American businessman and politician from Albany, New York. A Democrat, he was most notable for his service as mayor of Albany from 1834 to 1837, in the New York State Senate from 1842 to 1845, and in the United States House of Representatives from 1857 to 1859, and from 1861 to 1863.
A native of Norwich, Connecticut, Corning moved to Troy, New York, when he was 13 so he could be trained for a career as a merchant. He worked as a clerk in his uncle's hardware store for six years, then moved to Albany, New York, to work for the retail business owned by James Spencer. Corning eventually became the senior partner in the enterprise, which he combined with businesses he inherited from his uncle to create Erastus Corning & Co. The Corning company sold ironware, including tools and farm implements, nails, stoves, parts for railroad cars, and rails for railroads. John V. L. Pruyn married Corning's niece Harriet, and Pruyn and Corning became partners in a variety of business ventures and investments. Under Corning's leadership, several local and regional railways were combined in the early 1850s to form the New York Central Railroad, and Corning served as its first president.
Corning was involved in politics as a Democrat, and served as Albany's mayor from 1834 to 1837. He was a member of the state senate from 1842 to 1845. In 1856 he was elected to Congress, and he served one term, 1857 to 1859. In 1860, he was again elected to the U.S. House, and he served a partial term, March 1861 to October 1863. Corning was a delegate to the 1860 Democratic National Convention and to the Peace Conference of 1861, which attempted to prevent the American Civil War. Though he was a Democrat and President Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, once the war started, Corning supported the Union while also criticizing what he viewed as the Lincoln administration's excesses.
After leaving Congress, Corning began to wind down his business and political activities. He left the presidency of the New York Central in 1865, and focused much of his attention on speculating in and developing land he had purchased in the western states. He served as a delegate to the 1867 state constitutional convention. In his later years, Corning speculated in and developed land in the western states. He died in Albany on April 8, 1872, and was buried at Albany Rural Cemetery.
Early life
Corning was born in Norwich, Connecticut, the son of Bliss Corning and Lucinda (Smith) Corning. At age two, Corning fell from his crib and injured a hip, which required him to walk with crutches. He was unable to walk unaided for more than a few steps, but this physical limitation was generally not referred to in the press. As an adult, he taught himself to walk with a cane, which enabled him to rely less on his crutches.
Corning attended academies in Norwich and Chatham, New York, and moved to Troy, New York, at the age of thirteen to clerk in the hardware store of his uncle, Benjamin Smith. Six years later he moved to Albany, New York, where he joined the mercantile business of James Spencer. After some time at Spencer's firm, Corning became a partner, and the senior partner upon Spencer's death in 1824. Corning combined the Spencer firm with holdings he inherited from his uncle to form Erastus Corning & Co. John V. L. Pruyn was married to Harriet Corning Turner, who was Erastus Corning's niece. As a result of this family connection, Corning and Pruyn were often partners in business ventures and investments, which grew to include insurance, banking, land speculation, and land development.
Erastus Corning & Co.
Erastus Corning & Co. bought and sold all types iron products, including tools, nails, stoves, farming implements, and eventually railroad track rails and railroad car parts. The company had a wharf and warehouse on the Hudson River in Albany, and the store served not only Albany and the surrounding towns, but hundreds of large customers from the west who visited Albany only two or three times a year to buy and sell products, restock their own supplies, and see what new items were for sale.
Corning also invested in banks and insurance companies. He purchased the Albany Rolling and Slitting Mill, renamed it the Albany Nail Factory, and used it to corner the market on numerous iron products he sold at his store. The Albany Nail Factory eventually became the Rensselaer Iron Works, which under Corning's guidance installed the first Bessemer converter in the United States.