Individuals
Arthur I.
Boreman Governor of West Virginia, (1823-1896), served
1863-1869
Arthur I. Boreman Governor of West
Virginia, ca. 1863
Laurane Tanner
Bullock Boreman (1830-1908) Wife of governor of West Virginia,
by Matthew Brady. She was the daughter of Wheeling physician Dr.
James Tanner and the widow of a Union soldier killed during the
Civil War. She married Arthur I. Boreman on November 30,
1864.
Jacob Edgar Boyers (b.
1832) The first West Virginia Secretary of State, Boyers
published a pro-Union newspaper from 1860 to 1863, entitled the
Virginia Plaindealer.
John S. Carlile
(1817-1878) Carlile was a prominent Unionist leader from
western Virginia, who led delegates out of the Virginia
secessionist convention. He was one of the first two United States
Senators from the Restored Government of Virginia in 1861.
Ironically, due to disagreements with the Willey Amendment, Carlile
opposed West Virginia statehood.
Henry Dering
(1811-1868) Delegate from Monongalia County to the West
Virginia Constitutional Convention.
The Founders These six surviving members of the West Virginia Statehood Convention attended the state's fiftieth anniversary celebration in Wheeling in June 1913. Pictured are (l-r) P.M. Hale of Lewis County, W. L. Grant of Taylor County, George R. Latham of Upshur County, John J. Davis of Harrison County, Alpheus Garrison of Monongalia County, and William Thomas Brown of Taylor County.
Lucian M. Hagans (1825-1890) Served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of the Restored Government of Virginia, 1861-1865.
Chester D. Hubbard (1814-1891) Called the First Wheeling Convention to order May 13, 1861, this Wheeling businessman and banker served two terms in the House of Representatives, 1865 to 1869.
Joseph Johnson (1785-1877) Served several terms in Congress from Harrison County between 1815 and 1850, Johnson was the first governor elected by the people of Virginia and the first chosen from west of the Alleghenies in 1852. During the Civil War, Johnson supported Confederate Virginia.
Daniel Lamb (1810-1890) One of the principal authors of the 1863 West Virginia Constitution, this Wheeling attorney served as a member of the Wheeling conventions.
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) 16th President of the United States, Lincoln approved West Virginia statehood on December 31, 1862.
Dr. John William Moss (1816-1864) Parkersburg physician who served as president of the First Wheeling Convention in 1861.
Francis H. Pierpont (1814-1899) Served as governor of the Restored Government of Virginia from 1861 to 1867, he was elected to the first and second Wheeling conventions from Marion County.
Peter G. Van Winkle (1807-1872) Van Winkle was one of West Virginia's first two senators in 1863.
Kellian V. Whaley (1821-1876) Whaley was one of the first three United States Representatives from the Restored Government of Virginia in 1861, and one of the first three from the state of West Virginia in 1863.
Joseph Shaw Wheat (1803-1872) Elected to the first West Virginia Legislature from Morgan County, he played a key role in establishing the state's free school system.
Waitman T. Willey (1811-1900) Willey was one of the first two United States Senators to represent the Restored Government of Virginia in 1861, and one of the first two to represent the state of West Virginia in 1863.
Events
Wheeling Statehood Convention, June 1861 Sketched by Jasper Green, this illustration of the state founders meeting at the Wheeling Custom House appeared in the July 6 issue of Harper's Weekly.
West Virginia Statehood Proclamation With his signature on this document on December 31, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln approved the formation of the state of West Virginia.
Historic Structures
West Virginia Independence Hall Restored site of the Restored Government of Virginia capitol, 1861-1863, built in the 1850s as a federal custom house.
Wheeling, 1863-1870. State capitol The state's first capitol was constructed in 1858, as part of the Linsly Institute. When the capitol relocated to Wheeling again in 1875, executive offices were again set up in Linsly for the first year.
