Francis Harrison Pierpont
The Father of West Virginia
Francis H. Pierpont was born near Morgantown and grew up in Fairmont. He studied law at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. Before entering politics, he practiced law in western Virginia, with clients including the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Pierpont was also an entrepreneur—his investment in a coal mine made him one of the state’s earliest coal operators.Pierpont, nicknamed “The Father of West Virginia,” was a delegate to the First and Second Wheeling Conventions in 1861, during which Unionist politicians in western Virginia resisted the state’s vote to secede by establishing the Restored Government of Virginia. The Second Wheeling Convention unanimously elected Pierpont as governor of the restored government before West Virginia’s admission to the Union as a separate state. Although he was never actually governor of West Virginia he is still remembered as one of the state’s founding fathers. In his role as head of the Restored Government, he pressed the U.S. Congress for statehood, which approved the issue.
As governor of the estored Government of Virginia, Pierpont worked to aid the Union war effort by recruiting loyal Virginian regiments, raising funds, and combating Confederate sympathizers. He also gained much influence with President Lincoln, especially regarding the statehood of West Virginia. Pierpont remained as the head of the Restored Government of Virginia until the end of the Civil War, then served as the governor of Virginia during the first years of Reconstruction. He became one of the key figures in the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1867–1868, which established the fundamental law of Virginia following the Civil War and the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
In 1868, Pierpont returned to his law practice in West Virginia and ultimately served one term in the West Virginia House of Delegates.
Of Note
Delegate to the First and Second Wheeling Conventions
Governor of Restored Government of Virginia
Representative in the West Virginia House of Delegates
Governor of Restored Government of Virginia
Representative in the West Virginia House of Delegates
About the Images
A portrait Francis H. Pierpont
The coat of arms of the Restored Government of Virginia bears the motto, “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” which is Latin for “Thus Always to Tyrants,” meaning tyrannical leaders will inevitably be overthrown.
A page from a letter Pierpont wrote to President Lincoln about his support for creating the new state of West Virginia.
This mural in the Civic Center in Wheeling was created by Mark Missman. The mural depicts Francis H. Pierpoint addressing the Wheeling Convention on June 20, 1861 following his election as governor of the Restored Government of Virginia. (Image Courtesy of the Ohio County Public Library Archives)
Pierpont’s office for the Restored Government of Virginia was located within the Customs House in Wheeling. (Image courtesy of WeeLunk)
A statue of Pierpont stands in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington—one of two West Virginians so recognized.
The coat of arms of the Restored Government of Virginia bears the motto, “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” which is Latin for “Thus Always to Tyrants,” meaning tyrannical leaders will inevitably be overthrown.
A page from a letter Pierpont wrote to President Lincoln about his support for creating the new state of West Virginia.
This mural in the Civic Center in Wheeling was created by Mark Missman. The mural depicts Francis H. Pierpoint addressing the Wheeling Convention on June 20, 1861 following his election as governor of the Restored Government of Virginia. (Image Courtesy of the Ohio County Public Library Archives)
Pierpont’s office for the Restored Government of Virginia was located within the Customs House in Wheeling. (Image courtesy of WeeLunk)
A statue of Pierpont stands in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington—one of two West Virginians so recognized.