William Smith O'Brien (January 8, 1862 – August 10, 1948) was a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and Democratic

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

who served as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from 1927 to 1929.

Biography

O'Brien was born in Audra, near

Philippi Philippi (; , ''Phílippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides (, ''Krēnĩdes'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colonists in 360/359 BC. The city was renamed by Phili ...

in Barbour County, Virginia (now West Virginia). He attended the common schools, the

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

Academy, and the

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

at Morgantown. He worked as a laborer on farms, in brick yards, and on public works. He also taught school and worked as an editor. He graduated from the law school of the University of West Virginia at Morgantown in 1891. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

the same year and commenced the practice of law in

Buckhannon, West Virginia Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States. Located along the Buckhannon River, the population was 5,299 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is southwe ...

in Upshur County in 1892. O'Brien served as a captain in the

West Virginia National Guard The West Virginia National Guard is a part of the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety. It comprises the West Virginia Army National Guard and the West Virginia Air National Guard. Unlike some states, West Virginia does ...

in 1894 and 1895. He served as judge on the twelfth judicial

circuit court Circuit courts are court systems in several common law jurisdictions. It may refer to: * Courts that literally sit 'on circuit', i.e., judges move around a region or country to different towns or cities where they will hear cases; * Courts that s ...

of West Virginia from 1913 to 1919. In 1926, he was elected as a Democrat to the

70th United States Congress The 70th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 192 ...

(March 4, 1927 – March 3, 1929). He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1928 to the Seventy-first Congress and resumed the practice of law. He was elected to four successive terms as

Secretary of State of West Virginia The secretary of state of West Virginia is an elected office within the U.S. state of West Virginia state government. The secretary of state is responsible for overseeing the state's election process, including voter registration and election ...

starting in 1932. He served as West Virginia Secretary of State until his death in

in 1948 and was buried at Heavner Cemetery.

External links

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 someti ...

William Smith O'Brien, Papers

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, William Smith 1862 births 1948 deaths People from Barbour County, West Virginia People from Buckhannon, West Virginia Secretaries of state of West Virginia West Virginia circuit court judges West Virginia lawyers West Virginia University alumni West Virginia University College of Law alumni West Virginia National Guard personnel Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia 20th-century West Virginia politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives