Philip Watkins McKinney (March 17, 1832 – March 1, 1899) was an American lawyer, soldier and politician. McKinney served in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

, was the Commonwealth attorney for Prince Edward County, and was elected as the 41st

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

, serving from 1890 to 1894.

Early life

Born in New Store, in

Buckingham County, Virginia Buckingham County is a rural United States county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and containing the geographic center of the state. Buckingham County is part of the Piedmont region of Virginia, and the county seat is Buckingham. ...

, Philip McKinney was the son of Charles and Martha McKinney. His undergraduate education was at Hampden–Sydney College, where he graduated with honors in 1851. McKinney then studied law at

Washington College Washington College is a private liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782. George Washington supported the founding of the college by consenting to have the "College at Chester" name ...

under

John White Brockenbrough John White Brockenbrough (December 23, 1806 – February 20, 1877) was a Virginia attorney, law professor, U.S. District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, and Confederate States congressman and distri ...

. After graduating, he started the

practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the profess ...

and was married twice, first to Ann Fleming Christian and then to Annie Clay, with each marriage producing one child.

War and politics

In 1858, McKinney was elected to the

, representing Buckingham County. However, at the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he joined the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

army as an officer in Company K of the

4th Virginia Cavalry The 4th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia. History The Virginia 4th Cavalry comp ...

. He sustained a serious injury in 1863 at the

Battle of Brandy Station The Battle of Brandy Station, also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War, as well as the largest ever to take place on American soil. It was fought on June 9, 1863, aroun ...

, thus ending his fighting career. After the war, McKinney started a law practice in

Farmville ''FarmVille'' is a series of agriculture-simulation social network game developed and published by Zynga in 2009. It is similar to '' Happy Farm'' and ''Farm Town''. Its gameplay involves various aspects of farmland management, such as plowi ...

, but soon returned to politics. He served multiple terms as the Commonwealth Attorney for Prince Edward County throughout the next twenty years. However, he also lost a number of electoral campaigns during that time, including for U.S. Congress,

Virginia Attorney General The attorney general of Virginia is an elected constitutional position that holds an executive office in the government of Virginia. Attorneys general are elected for a four-year term in the year following a presidential election. There are no ter ...

and Governor. McKinney ran for Governor for the second time in 1889, this time soundly beating

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 ...

William Mahone William Mahone (December 1, 1826October 8, 1895) was an American civil engineer, railroad executive, Confederate States Army general, and Virginia politician. As a young man, Mahone was prominent in the building of Virginia's roads and railroa ...

, with McKinney winning 57.19% of the vote. The central theme of McKinney's gubernatorial campaign was

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White s ...

and the danger of

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

advancement. Once elected, his primary focus as Governor was on developing the state economy and increasing the power of the Virginia Democratic party. After leaving office, McKinney retired to private life, settling with his wife in Farmville, Virginia. He died there in 1899 and was interred at Farmville Cemetery. His Queen-Anne-style house still stands in Farmville.

References

External links

A Guide to the Executive papers of Governor Phillip W. McKinney, 1889-1893 (bulk 1890-1893)
a
The Library of Virginia
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKinney, Philip W. 1832 births 1899 deaths Democratic Party governors of Virginia People from Buckingham County, Virginia Hampden–Sydney College alumni People of Virginia in the American Civil War Confederate States Army officers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates County and city Commonwealth's Attorneys in Virginia People from Farmville, Virginia