Charleston WV – The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history.
To read more, go to e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia at www.wvencyclopedia.org.
Aug. 22, 1872: Following the Constitutional Convention of 1872, the West Virginia
electorate ratified a new state constitution by a vote of 42,344 to 37,777. In the same election,
voters rejected a controversial convention proposition that would have prohibited Black citizens
from holding public office.
Aug. 23, 1965: Sylvia Mathews Burwell was born in Hinton. She was U.S. Secretary of
Health and Human Services (2014-17) under President Obama before serving as American
University’s first woman president (2017-24).
Aug. 23, 1970: The Mormon Church established its first “stake,” or congregation, in
West Virginia. The stake was organized in Charleston with a membership of nearly 4,000
people.
Aug. 24, 1918: Louis Bennett Jr. died of injuries sustained when his plane was shot down
by German anti-aircraft fire. Bennett, with 12 combat kills, was West Virginia’s only World War
I fighter ace.
Aug. 24, 1947: Joe Manchin III was born in Fairmont. He served in both houses of the
legislature and as secretary of state before becoming the 34 th governor in 2005. In 2010, he ran
successfully for the late Robert C. Byrd’s U.S. Senate seat and stepped down as governor. In
2023, he announced he would retire from the Senate at the end of his term in 2025.
August 25, 1903: Soprano Susanne Fisher was born in Sutton. Fisher was the first West
Virginian to sing at the Metropolitan Opera.
Aug. 25, 1921: Miners began to arrive at Blair Mountain near the border of Logan and
Boone counties. Sheriff Don Chafin, a hated symbol of anti-unionism in southern West Virginia,
met them with a combined force of deputies, mine guards, civilian volunteers and others.
Aug. 25, 2000: The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope was dedicated. It is the
world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope.
Aug. 26, 1863: Union and Confederate forces collided in what became known as the
Battle of White Sulphur Springs. The next morning, with ammunition nearly depleted, Union
General William Averell retreated to his base without accomplishing any of his objectives.
Aug. 26, 1918: Mathematician Katherine Johnson was born in White Sulphur Springs.
For 33 years, Johnson worked for NASA, making calculations for manned space flights,
including the Apollo 11 moon landing. In 2015, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Aug. 27, 1902: Mary McClain was born Mary Smith in Huntington. McClain was a blues
legend who performed at Carnegie Hall, the White House, the Apollo Theatre, and the Cotton
Club.
Aug. 28, 1900: Harrison H. Ferrell Jr. was born in Chicago. Known as “the Dean” to
generations of students, he was professor of German, 1928–66, at West Virginia State College
(now University) and served as dean and in other capacities from 1930 until 1970.