One ex-Congress priest left

National Catholic Reporter, Feb 16, 2007

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Jan. 28 death of Jesuit Fr. Robert Drinan, leaves but one other in the small club of Catholic clerics who have served in Congress, Norbertine Fr. Robert Cornell.

Cornell, now 87, represented Wisconsin's 8th District from 1975 to 1979, the only Democrat to serve more than one term in that seat. He lost his 1978 bid for re-election, and was trying to win the seat back when the bishop of Green Bay told him he had to withdraw because of a papal decree. Cornell pulled out of the race May 6, 1980, one day after Drinan withdrew from his race.

Cornell said he and Drinan "never really discussed legislation because, when it came to issues such as civil rights and things of that nature, we generally agreed." Abortion was the one issue on which they parted, Cornell said. Cornell said he consistently voted to deny use of federal funds for abortions. From 1980 to six years ago, Cornell taught history and political science at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis.

A third Catholic priest, Fr. Gabriel Richard, was a nonvoting delegate to Congress from the Michigan Territory from 1823 to 1825 and is credited with convincing Congress to fund the road from Detroit to Chicago now known as Michigan Avenue.