Commodore John H. Cornell, USCG, of the Planning and Central Staff at Coast Guard Headquarters, was promoted to flag rank January 1, 1946.
He was served in the Coast Guard for over 40 years, having been appointed a cadet on 27 June, 1905. He has had many years sea duty on such ships as the Chase, Itasca, Androscoggin, Morrill, and the Onandaga. He was commended for his pioneer work in radio during its early days. He performed radio work on the Algonquin around San Juan, Puerto Rico, and then returned to the Itasca and later to the Morrill for navigation duty on the Great Lakes. After service on the Pamlico, he returned to the Algonquin for convoy duty between Gibraltar and England during World War I. Following duty on the Gresham and the Ossipee, he again returned to the Algonquin until he was made Assistant Coast Guard Inspector at San Francisco for nearly two years.
After a short period of duty on the Downes, he was put in command of the Trippe for two years, at the end of which he was appointed Purchasing Officer of the Coast Guard store in New York and then Supply Officer at Coast Guard Headquarters. He was commanding officer of the Tampa in 1931.
Commodore Cornell is credited with inaugurating the cost accounting system in the Coast Guard. In 1934, he was transferred to Norfolk, Virginia, as Chief of Staff. There he was commended by Admiral Russell R. Waesche, former Coast Guard Commandant, for the speedy, efficient and thorough manner in which he organized his division for rescue work during the 1936 hurricane. Later that year, he was commended for his direction of the rescue of a Greek freighter, the Izenny Chandris which sank off the Hatteras.
His next assignment was in command of the Duane and then in command of the Bering Sea Patrol force, during which assignments he did reconnoitering work for defense sites around Alaska and the Aleutians. He returned to Headquarters in 1940 for duty in the Division of Material, Procurement and Supply Station. He was a member of the Board for Life-Saving Appliances, president of the examining board for 255-feet cutters, and in 1942, was appointed Material Budget Officer. In 1944, he served as Coast Guard representative for matters concerning Inventory Control and was also Redistribution Officer. He was also a member of the Planning and Control Staff.