William Chapman Revercomb (July 20, 1895 – October 6, 1979) was an American politician and
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
. A
Republican, he served two separate terms in the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
representing the
state of
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
.
Life and career
Revercomb was born in
Covington, Virginia, the son of Elizabeth Forrer (Chapman) and
George Anderson Revercomb. He attended
Washington and Lee University
, mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future"
, established =
, type = Private liberal arts university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.092 billion (2021)
, president = William C. Dudley
, provost = Lena Hill
, city = Lexingto ...
before entering the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
where he served as a
corporal. Returning from the war, he transferred to the law school at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
, graduating in 1919. He practiced law in Covington for few years before moving to
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and List of cities in West Virginia, most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk River (West Virginia), Elk and Kanawha River, Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 20 ...
in 1922.
He was elected to the Senate in 1942. There he championed opposition to the foreign and domestic policies of the administration of
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
and was a stalwart supporter of
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
. In 1945, Revercomb was among the seven senators who opposed full United States entry into the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
. Revercomb was defeated for re-election in 1948 and for the state's other Senate seat in 1952. In both races, his support of the national Republican party's civil rights policies were major issues.
In 1956, he won a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
Harley M. Kilgore
Harley Martin Kilgore (January 11, 1893 – February 28, 1956) was a United States senator from West Virginia.
Biography
He was born on January 11, 1893, in Brown, West Virginia. He was born to Quimby Hugh Kilgore and Laura Jo Kilgore. His fat ...
, his Democratic opponent in the 1952 election. He re-entered the Senate and served through the end of 1958. During his second tenure in the Senate, Revercomb voted in favor of the
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights legislation passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwigh ...
.
In 1958, he lost to Congressman
Robert Byrd in his re-election bid in another racially charged election (Byrd held the seat until his death in 2010, becoming the first U.S. senator to serve uninterrupted for more than 50 years). He then lost the Republican nomination for
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
in 1960 and retired from politics. He practiced law in Charleston until his death in 1979.
Revercomb was the last Republican to represent West Virginia in the Senate (his 1956–59 term) until the election of
Shelley Moore Capito in 2014 ended a 56 year streak of Democratic Senate victories in the state.
References
External links
*
West Virginia & Regional History Center at
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...
Chapman Revercomb, Politician, Biography Retrieved on 2009-5-18
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Revercomb, William Chapman
1895 births
1979 deaths
Candidates in the 1944 United States presidential election
United States Army personnel of World War I
United States Army non-commissioned officers
American Presbyterians
West Virginia lawyers
West Virginia Republicans
Republican Party United States senators from West Virginia
People from Covington, Virginia
20th-century American politicians
20th-century American lawyers
Lawyers from Charleston, West Virginia
Politicians from Charleston, West Virginia
Washington and Lee University alumni
Military personnel from Virginia