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Following the fall of Fort Sumter and Lincoln's call for volunteers, Virginia held a convention in April 1861 to consider a course of action. The convention voted 88 to 55 to leave the Union. Of 47 delegates from present-day West Virginia, 32 voted against secession, 11 favored it, and four did not vote. John S. Carlile and other Unionist delegates hurried home and organized opposition to Virginia's decision. As a result of their efforts, 37 counties sent delegates to a meeting in May known as the First Wheeling Convention, followed the next month by the Second Wheeling Convention, which established a Virginia state government loyal to the Union.
Here are just a few leaders of the West Virginia statehood movement.
Born in 1814 in Ohio, Battelle taught in Parkersburg and Clarksburg before becoming a Methodist minister. Unlike many others in West Virginia's first constitutional convention, he ardently opposed slavery but failed in his efforts to ban it from t...
Blair was the first West Virginian to learn from President Abraham Lincoln that West Virginia would be admitted to the Union. Born in Parkersburg, Blair became a lawyer after studying under his uncle. He was a strong Union supporter during the Civ...
On June 20, 1863, Arthur I. Boreman became the first governor of West Virginia.Before that, he had helped lead the Second Wheeling Convention and the loyal "Reorganized Government of Virginia." He was elected governor in 1863 without anyone runnin...
Campbell was a newspaperman, editor of the Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, and an important leader in the statehood movement. Born in Ohio, he grew up in Bethany and graduated from Bethany College and later law school. In 1856, he moved to Wheeling ...
After Virginia seceded from the Union, John Carlile of Clarksburg was perhaps the most vocal proponent of West Virginia statehood. He helped lead early meetings to form a new state government of Virginia loyal to the Union, with its capital in Whe...
Born in New York, Farnsworth moved to Buckhannon as a child and worked as a tailor, store owner, and farmer.A strong Union supporter, Farnsworth played key roles during the Second Wheeling Convention in 1861. He later served in the state legislatu...
Hall was a writer and government leader from Harrison County. He started his career as a teacher and then worked for a newspaper. In 1861, he documented the Wheeling conventions that helped create West Virginia. His book The Rending of Virginia is...
Born in Connecticut, Hubbard moved to Wheeling as a child and later graduated college as valedictorian. He worked in his family’s lumber business and helped build Wheeling’s iron and steel industries.He served in the Virginia legislature and stron...
Jackson was a lawyer, soldier, and politician from near Parkersburg. He came from a political family and was educated at Washington College and West Point. He served in the Seminole War and later was a Virginia state lawmaker for many years.In 186...
Born in Pennsylvania, Lamb moved to Wheeling as a child and later worked in city government, banking, and law.During the Civil War, Lamb helped write the state constitution and served in the West Virginia legislature. After the war, he worked to i...
Pierpont is often remembered as the "Father of West Virginia." Born near Morgantown, he grew up in Fairmont, became a lawyer, and owned early coal and railroad companies. He later helped found what is now known as Fairmont State University.During ...
Born in Pennsylvania, Stevenson started his career as a cabinet maker and later moved to Wood County, where he became a farmer. During the Civil War, he was a strong Union supporter. While advocating for the cause, he was indicted by a Parkersburg...
Born in New York, Van Winkle moved to Parkersburg in 1835, became a lawyer, helped build railroads, and played a significant role in the state’s early development.He was part of the conventions that led to West Virginia’s creation. As one of West ...
Whaley was born in New York and raised in Ohio. In 1842, he moved to Wayne County and worked in the lumber business.After Virginia voted to secede in 1861, Whaley was elected to Congress by Union loyalists. He also helped recruit soldiers and foug...
Born in Marion County, Willey became a lawyer and a powerful public speaker known for quoting classic literature and the Bible.Though he first opposed splitting from Virginia, he later supported West Virginia statehood and helped pass the bill in ...
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This Exhibit has 27 Sections