Waitman Thomas Willey (October 18, 1811May 2, 1900) was an American lawyer and politician from

Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Monongahela River in North Central West Virginia and is the home of West Virginia University. The population was 30,347 at the 2 ...

. One of the founders of the state of West Virginia during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, he served in the

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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, 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 Monong ...

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 liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

1827, the 17 year old with his belongings wrapped in a handkerchief, began walking from his home to Madison College (later

Allegheny College Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college in Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1815, Allegheny is the oldest college in continuous existence under the same name west of the Allegheny Mountains. It is a member of the G ...

) in

Uniontown, Pennsylvania Uniontown is the largest city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 9,984 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, southeast of Pittsburgh. History southeast of ...

. 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. He later received honorary degrees from Alleghany College, Augusta College and

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 ...

. 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 the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

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 of the United States, vice president in 1841. He was elected ...

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, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

. 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 United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 6, 1860. The History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin emerged victoriou ...

. His candidates lost badly, and Republican Abraham Lincoln was elected president.

American Civil War and West Virginia statehood

Elected a member of the

Virginia Secession Convention The Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 was called in the state capital of Richmond to determine whether Virginia would secede from the United States, govern the state during a state of emergency, and write a new Constitution for Virginia, whi ...

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 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 ...

statehood (although Willey had been among those who blocked

John S. Carlile John Snyder Carlile (December 16, 1817October 24, 1878) was an American merchant, lawyer, slaveowner and politician, including a United States senator. A strong supporter of the Union cause during the American Civil War, he represented the loy ...

's proposal for immediate statehood). He did not seek election to the June Second Wheeling Convention, which established the

, 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 The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...

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 ( , ), sometimes 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 nor ...

failed and Willey escaped in a fast buggy into Pennsylvania, although the raiders continued to Fairmont and destroyed the library of Gov. Francis Pierpont. The

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) 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, 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

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 Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1982, and renovated in 2012.

References

Bibliography

External links

Waitman T. Willey in ''Encyclopedia Virginia''biographic sketch at U.S. Congress website
*The West Virginia & Regional History Center at WVU has two collections of Waitman T. Willey's papers
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Willey, Waitman T. 1811 births 1900 deaths 1840 United States presidential electors 19th-century American lawyers 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) United States senators who owned slaves 19th-century West Virginia politicians 19th-century United States senators