Waitman T. Willey
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Waitman Thomas Willey (October 18, 1811May 2, 1900) was an American lawyer and politician from Morgantown,
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 B ...
. One of the founders of the state of West Virginia during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, he served 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 first the
Restored Government of Virginia The Restored (or Reorganized) Government of Virginia was the Unionist government of Virginia during the American Civil War (1861–1865) in opposition to the government which had approved Virginia's seceding from the United States and join ...
and became one of the new state of West Virginia's first two senators. He is one of only two people in U.S. History to represent more than one state in the U.S. Senate, the other being James Shields (who represented Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri).


Early and family life

Willey was born in 1811, in a log cabin near Buffalo Creek and the present day
Farmington, West Virginia Farmington is a town in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 389 at the 2020 census. It is best known for being the site of the 1968 Farmington Mine disaster. The community was named for the fact a large share of the f ...
, in Marion County. He was raised on
Paw Paw Creek Paw Paw Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the Monongahela River in West Virginia. Course The headwaters of the creek begin in Mononga ...
in Monongalia County. He could only attend school for about two months because his family needed him to work on the farm, but he was determined to get an education. On
Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
1827, the 17 year old with his belongings wrapped in a handkerchief, began walking from his home to Madison College (later
Allegheny College he, תגל ערבה ותפרח כחבצלת , mottoeng = "Add to your faith, virtue and to your faith, knowledge" (2 Peter 1:5)"The desert shall rejoice and the blossom as the rose" (Isaiah 35:1) , faculty = 193 ...
) in
Uniontown, Pennsylvania Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Greater Pittsburgh Region. The population was 10,372 at the 2010 census, down from 12,422 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and ...
. He worked hard, and even tutored other students, graduating six months ahead of schedule in June 1831. Having gained many friends who were ministers or other church folk, Willey returned to what was then still Virginia. He moved to Wellsburg to read law under the guidance of western Virginia sectional leader
Philip Doddridge Philip Doddridge D.D. (26 June 1702 – 26 October 1751) was an English Nonconformist (specifically, Congregationalist) minister, educator, and hymnwriter. Early life Philip Doddridge was born in London the last of the twenty children of ...
. He later received honorary degrees from Alleghany College, Augusta College and
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 Coll ...
. In 1834, Willey married Elizabeth Ray, with whom he had six children before her death a few years before his: Mary E. Casselberry (d. 1862); Sarah B. Hagans, William P. Willey, Julia E. McGrew, Thomas R. Willey, Louisa A. Willey and John B. Willey.


Career

Admitted to the Virginia bar in September 1832, Willey moved to Morgantown to establish a private legal practice. He became active in politics, especially in the Whig Party, and in 1840 was an elector for the
William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
/
John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig tick ...
ticket, although he also lost election to become a delegate to the
Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 16 ...
. In 1841, voters elected Willey Clerk of the County Court of Monongalia County, and re-elected him several times; Willey served until 1852. He was active in local politics, served in a variety of positions, and was a popular speaker for the literacy society and temperance campaigns. As one of four delegates representing Marion, Preston, Monongalia and Taylor Counties at the
Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 was an assembly of elected delegates chosen by the voters to write the fundamental law of Virginia. It is known as the Reform Convention because it liberalized Virginia political institutions. Backgro ...
, Willey argued in favor of universal suffrage for white men, and also believed that eastern Virginian elites dominated political power in the state. His speech "Liberty and Union" brought him broader attention. In 1852, Willey became the Whig candidate for Congress, but lost. In 1859 Willey became the Whig delegate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, but lost. The following year he campaigned for Everett and Bell of the Constitutional Union Party in the 1860 Presidential election. His candidates lost badly, and
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Abraham Lincoln was elected president.


American Civil War and West Virginia statehood

Elected a member of the Virginia Secession Convention in 1861 (representing Monongalia County, alongside J.M. Heck and Marshall M. Dent), Willey warned fellow delegates about the ravages of civil war. Although Willey voted against secession several times during the convention, the ordinance of secession eventually passed and Virginia seceded on April 17, 1861. Although conservative (and a slaveowner), Willey actively participated at the First Wheeling Convention of May, 1861, which ultimately led to
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 B ...
statehood (although Willey had been among those who blocked John S. Carlile's proposal for immediate statehood). He did not seek election to the June Second Wheeling Convention, which established the
Restored Government of Virginia The Restored (or Reorganized) Government of Virginia was the Unionist government of Virginia during the American Civil War (1861–1865) in opposition to the government which had approved Virginia's seceding from the United States and join ...
, although he would soon be elected one of the new state's first two U.S. Senators (alongside Carlile). In April 1863, Willey was one of the targets of the Confederate Jones- Imboden raid to destroy the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad tracks and capture the Restored Government of Virginia at Wheeling. However, when Jones' troops moved into Kingwood and Morgantown, their attempt to destroy a suspension bridge over the
Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-cen ...
failed and Willey escaped in a fast buggy into Pennsylvania, although the raiders continued to Fairmont and destroyed the library of Gov.
Francis Pierpont Francis Harrison Pierpont (January 25, 1814March 24, 1899), called the "Father of West Virginia," was an American lawyer and politician who achieved prominence during the American Civil War. During the conflict's first two years, Pierpont served ...
. The
Restored Government of Virginia The Restored (or Reorganized) Government of Virginia was the Unionist government of Virginia during the American Civil War (1861–1865) in opposition to the government which had approved Virginia's seceding from the United States and join ...
elected him to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy of Senator James M. Mason, who had joined the Confederate cause. Willey (a
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
) became one of the first two U. S. Senators from West Virginia (1863–1871) (alongside Peter G. Van Winkle). On May 29, 1862, Willey presented the petition to Congress for the creation of West Virginia. In part because of a published abolitionist address by Rev.
Gordon Battelle Gordon Battelle (10 August 1883 – 21 September 1923) was the founder of Battelle Memorial Institute, a non-profit independent research and development organization. Birth, death and family Gordon Battelle was born in Covington, Kentucky, to Oh ...
, it was accepted only after Willey offered an Amendment acceptable to Radical Republicans, which provided for emancipation of slaves under 21 years of age on July 4, 1863, upon their reaching 21 years of age. Previously, Willey (who had domestic slaves) had argued for compensated emancipation. That compromise secured adoption of the West Virginia statehood bill. Because of his federal position (although he drew the short term of 2 years), Willey participated only from the sidelines in West Virginia's Constitutional Convention at Wheeling. However, he did vote to remove President Andrew Johnson from the Presidency, although that impeachment failed by one vote (and his fellow Senator Van Winkle voted the other way). After Willey won and served one full term, he retired from Congress in 1871, and became a delegate to the West Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1872. However, his political career ended as Democrats regained political power in the new state. In 1872, Willey also was elected to General Conference of the Methodist Church, but declined to serve. He did serve as a delegate-at-large to the National Republican Convention in 1876, and to the Methodist General Conference of 1880. In 1882, he accepted a temporary appointment as Clerk of the County Court in Monongelia County after the incumbent died, and voters elected him to a full six-year term in 1884.


Death and legacy

Willey died on May 2, 1900 at 88 years of age, after the deaths of his wife and one of his daughters. He was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Morgantown. His son William became a professor 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 Coll ...
in Morgantown, and during his lifetime, Willey had tutored many men who became judges and leading members of the West Virginia bar. Although the Waitman T. Willey House that he built in 1839-1840 had been in a semi-rural setting, 78 lots were divided around it after his death, and the surrounding area became the Chancery Hill Addition within the industrializing city. The house still exists; it was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1982, and renovated in 2012.


See also

* List of members of the United States Congress from multiple states


References


Bibliography

*


External links


Waitman T. Willey in ''Encyclopedia Virginia''biographic sketch at U.S. Congress website
*The
West Virginia & Regional History Center The West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC), is the largest archival collection housing documents and manuscripts involving West Virginia and the surrounding central Appalachian region. Because of name changes over the years, it is some ...
at WVU has two collections of Waitman T. Willey's papers
A&M 3
an
A&M 1361
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willey, Waitman T. 1811 births 1900 deaths 1840 United States presidential electors 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century Methodists Allegheny College alumni American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law County clerks in Virginia Delegates of the 1861 Wheeling Convention Lawyers from Morgantown, West Virginia Methodists from West Virginia People from Farmington, West Virginia People of West Virginia in the American Civil War Politicians from Morgantown, West Virginia Republican Party United States senators from Virginia Republican Party United States senators from West Virginia Southern Unionists in the American Civil War Unconditional Union Party United States senators from West Virginia Unionist Party United States senators from Virginia Virginia Constitutional Unionists Virginia lawyers Virginia Secession Delegates of 1861 Virginia Unionists Virginia Whigs West Virginia Republicans West Virginia Unconditional Unionists Burials at Oak Grove Cemetery (Morgantown, West Virginia)