Waitman T. Willey (1811-1900)

Waitman T. Willey was born in Monongalia County in 1811. He attended Madison College in Pennsylvania before establishing a law practice in Morgantown. Willey was admitted to the bar ca. 1841 alongside Ralph L. Berkshire, also buried in Oak Grove Cemetery. Willey was vehemently opposed to Virginia’s secession from the Union and attended the First Wheeling Convention, a gathering of northwestern Virginian politicians. Though initially opposed to the creation of a new state, in time, Willey became a crucial supporter of the efforts to separate West Virginia from Virginia. He personally presented the petition to secede from Virginia to Congress in 1862. He was also responsible for the creation of the Willey Amendment. This amendment to secession struck a compromise between hardline abolitionist congressmen – who refused to accept West Virginia as a new state unless it were a free state – and slave-owners. The legislation freed no slaves immediately, instead stipulating that any slave would become free upon reaching twenty-one years of age. The Willey Amendment was instrumental in clearing the final roadblock to West Virginia statehood. Between 1863 and 1871, Willey served as one of the first two senators from West Virginia. He also had a hand in drafting West Virginia's constitution in 1872. Willey died in Morgantown in 1900.

Ambler, C H. The Makers of West Virginia. West Virginia History, vol. 2, no. 4267 - 278. Published July 1st 1941.

Bailey, Kenneth R. Willey Amendment, The West Virginia Encyclopedia. November 24th 2015. Accessed September 9th 2020. https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1267.

Fredette, Allison. Waitman T. Willey (1811-1900), Encyclopedia Virginia. June 20th 2014. Accessed September 9th 2020. https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/willey_waitman_t_1811-1900#start_entry.

Grimm, Jeanne. Waitman Willey, The West Virginia Encyclopedia. December 9th 2015. Accessed September 9th 2020. https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1270.