William A. MacCorkle
9th Governor of West Virginia
In office
March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1897
Preceded byAretas B. Fleming
Succeeded byGeorge W. Atkinson
Personal details
BornMay 7, 1857
Lexington, Virginia
DiedSeptember 24, 1930 (aged 73)
Charleston, West Virginia
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseBelle Goshorn MacCorkle
ProfessionPolitician

William Alexander MacCorkle (May 7, 1857 – September 24, 1930), was an American teacher, lawyer, prosecutor, the ninth Governor of West Virginia and state legislator of West Virginia, and financier.

Biography

He was born near Lexington, Virginia. After briefly teaching school in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, he attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Returning to West Virginia, in 1879, he established a law practice in Charleston and also taught school. From 1880 to 1889, he served as the Kanawha County prosecuting attorney. In 1884 he married Belle Goshorn.[1] MacCorkle possessed strong views regarding the Confederacy. On December 8, 1889, he struck U.S. Marshal W.J. White at the Ruffner Hotel in Charleston after the latter made a disparaging comment about former Confederate president Jefferson Davis.[2]

In 1892, as the Democratic Party's candidate, he was elected governor of West Virginia. As governor, MacCorkle advocated increased funding for state institutions and improved transportation. Through an advertising program, he actively promoted the state's natural resources to attract industry. MacCorkle opposed the growing labor movement among coal miners and dispatched the state militia to break a strike.

After leaving office, MacCorkle returned to his Charleston law practice. In his numerous travels, he continued to publicize the state's resources. In 1910, he was elected to the West Virginia Senate. MacCorkle was also a founder and president of the Citizens National Bank, which later merged with the Charleston National Bank. He wrote an autobiography, The Recollections of Fifty Years, which was published in 1928.[3] He died at his Charleston home, Sunrise, in 1930.

Legacy

William A. MacCorkle grave, Spring Hill Cemetery, Charleston, WV, April 2009

MacCorkle's mansion, Sunrise, became home to a children's museum in the early 1960s. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[4] In Charleston, a major arterial road, MacCorkle Avenue, was named for him and carries U.S. Route 60 through the area. His papers form a valuable research resource at the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, which maintains the MacCorkle Collection on their State History and Archives website.[5]

The children's museum (now called Avampato Discovery Museum) was relocated to The Clay Center about two miles away in downtown Charleston in 2003. The Sunrise estate currently houses the law firm of Farmer Cline & Campbell PLLC.

MacCorkle addressed the Southern Conference On Race Problems in Montgomery, Alabama, on May 9, 1900. The address was entitled "The Negro and the Intelligence and Property Franchise." This address passionately set forth his opinions advocating for rights for African Americans.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "West Virginia's First Ladies," West Virginia Division of Culture and History, June 2007.
  2. ↑ "The Logan County banner". (Logan, WV). December 12, 1889. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  3. ↑ MacCorkle, William Alexander (1928). The recollections of fifty years of West Virginia. New York ; London : G. P. Putnam's sons. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  4. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  5. ↑ http://www.wvculture.org/history/collections/sc91-70.html
  6. ↑ "From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1824-1909". memory.loc.gov. Retrieved October 9, 2023.

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