Waitman T. Willey

• 1. Log Cabin To College

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  Waitman Thomas Willey was born on the 18th of October 1811 inside a log cabin near Buffalo Creek. His family needed him to work on their farm, so he could only attend school for about two months during his childhood. He remained determined to get an education despite these limitations. On Christmas Day 1827, the seventeen-year-old began walking from his home to Madison College in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He wrapped all his belongings in a handkerchief before starting that long journey. He worked hard while attending classes and even tutored other students to earn extra money. He graduated six months ahead of schedule in June 1831.

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• 2. Law And Local Power

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  Willey gained admission to the Virginia bar in September 1832 after studying law under Philip Doddridge. He moved to Morgantown to establish a private legal practice there. Voters elected him as Clerk of the County Court of Monongalia County in 1841. He served in this position until 1852 after being re-elected several times. He became active in politics within the Whig Party during those years. In 1850, he argued for universal suffrage for white men at the Virginia Constitutional Convention. His speech titled Liberty and Union brought him broader attention across western Virginia.

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• 3. Secession And Survival

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  Elected to the Virginia Secession Convention in 1861, Willey warned fellow delegates about the ravages of civil war. He voted against secession multiple times during the convention proceedings. The ordinance of secession eventually passed on the 17th of April 1861, causing Virginia to leave the Union. Willey actively participated at the First Wheeling Convention held in May 1861. This meeting ultimately led to West Virginia statehood efforts. Confederate troops targeted him during the Jones-Imboden raid in April 1863. They attempted to destroy railroad tracks near Kingwood and Morgantown. Willey escaped into Pennsylvania in a fast buggy when their attack failed.

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• 4. Senate Compromise

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  The Restored Government of Virginia elected him to the U.S. Senate to fill James M. Mason's vacancy. Mason had joined the Confederate cause after leaving his post. Willey presented the petition to Congress for the creation of West Virginia on the 29th of May 1862. It was accepted only after he offered an Amendment acceptable to Radical Republicans. That amendment provided for emancipation of slaves under twenty-one years of age on the 4th of July 1863. Previously, Willey had argued for compensated emancipation while owning domestic slaves himself. This compromise secured adoption of the West Virginia statehood bill. He served as one of the first two U.S. Senators from West Virginia alongside Peter G. Van Winkle.

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• 5. Dual State Representation

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  Willey became one of only two people in United States history to represent more than one state in the U.S. Senate. The other person holding this distinction is James Shields who represented Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri. Willey represented both the Restored Government of Virginia and later the new state of West Virginia. His tenure lasted from 1863 until 1871 during those turbulent war years. He voted to remove President Andrew Johnson from the Presidency though that impeachment failed by one vote. His fellow Senator Van Winkle voted the other way on that critical matter.

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• 6. Return And Legacy

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  Willey retired from Congress in 1871 after winning and serving one full term. He became a delegate to the West Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1872 shortly thereafter. Democrats regained political power in the new state which ended his career there. In 1884 voters elected him to a full six-year term as Clerk of the County Court in Monongalia County. He died on the 2nd of May 1900 at eighty-eight years of age. He was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Morgantown after the deaths of his wife and one daughter. His son William became a professor at West Virginia University in Morgantown.

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