A 1947 graduate of Cumberland Law School, he began his career working as an insurance agency attorney. In 1953 he was elected to the 78th General Assembly, and served a two-year term as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. In 1958, Cornelius was elected Davidson County General Sessions Judge, and served in this capacity until 1968, when he became the first to preside over the Division III Criminal Court. He was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1978, where he served until his retirement in 1986.
