Cornelius Harnett, American merchant, farmer, and politician (d. 1781)
Cornelius Harnett (April 10, 1723 – April 28, 1781) was a Founding Father of the United States and an American merchant and statesman from Wilmington, North Carolina. He was a leading American Revolutionary statesman in the Cape Fear region, and a delegate for North Carolina in the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1779 where he signed the Articles of Confederation. Cornelius Harnett is the namesake of Harnett County, North Carolina.