William A. MacCorkle

William Alexander MacCorkle ( May 7, 1857 in Lexington *, Virginia; † September 24, 1930 in Charleston, West Virginia ) was an American politician and from 1893 to 1897, the ninth Governor of West Virginia.

Early years and political rise

William MacCorkle attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington. After studying law, he practiced from 1879 in Charleston as a lawyer. The same time he was also active as a teacher. Between 1880 and 1889 MacCorkle acted as prosecutor in Kanawha County. In 1892 he was nominated by the Democratic Party as a candidate for the gubernatorial election and subsequently elected.

Governor of West Virginia

MacCorkles four-year term began on March 4, 1893. He sat down for an improvement of the transport system. With regard to the natural resources of his country, he tried to attract investors from outside of West Virginia.

Also worth mentioning is a law that was then adopted, according to which all adult male taxpayers who were 21-50 years old, on two days per year had to cooperate in the development of road. MacCorkle was an opponent of the labor movement and trade unions. When it came to a strike in the coal mining industry, he used the National Guard to end the labor dispute.

Further CV

After the end of his term of office on March 4, 1897 MacCorkle took in Charleston back to his profession. In 1910 he was elected to the Senate of West Virginia. He was also co-founder and President of the times, Citizens National Bank, which later merged with the Charleston National Bank. William MacCorkle died in September 1930. He was married to Isabelle Farrier Goshorn, with whom he had two children.