Eleanor's Legacy

Harriet Cornell is the only woman to ever chair the Rockland County Democratic Party; the first woman to chair the Rockland County Legislature and the first person to be elected Chair for four consecutive terms. She is now in her unprecedented sixth term. Her long record of accomplishments led to The Journal News naming her as one of 25 people who made the greatest impact on Rockland County during the 20th Century. Mrs. Cornell was included in Feminists Who Changed America 1963-75, published by the University of Illinois Press in 2006.

As Chairwoman, Mrs. Cornell’s priorities have included protection of our environment, enhanced educational resources, improved health services for women and children, homeland security, and Rockland’s transportation system. The first-ever Good Housekeeping/Ford Foundation Award was presented to Mrs. Cornell in Washington, D.C. for her efforts which demonstrate how government can improve people’s lives.

In 2005, Chairwoman Cornell created the Rockland Education Collaborative to study the impact of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation at the community level. This study led to the release of the landmark report, Rockland’s Voices: Making the Case for Amending the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. At the invitation of Senator Hillary Clinton, Mrs. Cornell and a team of educators visited Washington to brief members of Congress.

Chairwoman Cornell’s life-long interest in the well-being of children and families led to her leadership role in the creation of Rockland Schools of the 21st Century, a collaboration of family, school, community and government with the mission of helping every child achieve optimal development. In the thirteen years since the organization was founded, Rockland 21C has established 30 family resource centers throughout the county’s eight school districts and runs a literacy-based home visitation program for 2 and 3-year-olds.

Among her other accomplishments are the creation of STOP F.E.A.R., a coalition to stem the scourge of domestic violence and the Rockland County Breast Cancer Task Force. She was at the forefront of efforts to open the county’s first HIV/AIDS clinic and to bring distance education technology to Rockland’s schools and libraries.

Harriet Cornell is Chair of Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee which helps fund and train Democratic women who are running for office. She is Co-Director of Ambassadors for Hillary Clinton and Policy Chair of the New York State Democratic Committee. She has served as Delegate to several Democratic National Conventions and as a member of the Rules and Credentials Committees.

Mrs. Cornell is a graduate of Swarthmore College and received her M.P.A. degree from N.Y.U. Wagner Graduate School of Public Policy. She was married for 48 years to attorney J. Martin Cornell until his death in 2002. They have four children and two grandsons.