George W. Atkinson | |
|---|---|
 Judge G.W. Atkinson in judicial robes | |
| Judge of theCourt of Claims | |
| In office April 15, 1905 – April 16, 1916 | |
| Appointed by | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Lawrence Weldon |
| Succeeded by | James Hay |
| 10th Governor of West Virginia | |
| In office March 4, 1897 – March 4, 1901 | |
| Preceded by | William A. MacCorkle |
| Succeeded by | Albert B. White |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWest Virginia's1st district | |
| In office February 26, 1890 – March 3, 1891 | |
| Preceded by | John O. Pendleton |
| Succeeded by | John O. Pendleton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Wesley Atkinson (1845-06-29)June 29, 1845 Charleston, Virginia, US |
| Died | April 4, 1925(1925-04-04) (aged 79) |
| Resting place | Spring Hill Cemetery Charleston,West Virginia |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Ohio Wesleyan University (A.B.,A.M.) Mount Union College Howard University School of Law (LL.B.) |
| Signature | .png) |
George Wesley Atkinson (June 29, 1845 – April 4, 1925) was a United States cavalryman, lawyer, politician, judge and scholar who became the tenthgovernor of West Virginia after running as the candidate of theRepublican Party. He also served in the West VirginiaHouse of Delegates, as well as in theUnited States House of Representatives from West Virginia and ended his career of public service as aUnited States federal judge of theCourt of Claims.[1][2][3]
Born on June 29, 1845, inCharleston, Virginia (nowWest Virginia), to the former Miriam Radar of Nicholas County and her husband, Col. James Atkinson, a farmer and Kanawha County deputy sheriff. George, the second-born and named for his paternal grandfather, would have seven sisters.[4][5] Atkinson attended public school in Charleston.[6]
During the Civil War, Atkinson enlisted and mustered out as a private in Company F of the 1st West Virginia cavalry.[7]After the war, in addition to becoming superintendent of the Kanawha County public schools, losing his father and marrying (as discussed below), Atkinson attendedOhio Wesleyan University and received anArtium Baccalaureus degree in 1870. He continued his studies and received anArtium Magister degree in 1873 from the same institution.[1] He also took graduate level courses fromMount Union College, a Methodist-affiliated institution founded in 1845 inAlliance, Ohio, which would award him a PhD "pro merito" in 1887.[6] In 1871 he moved to eitherNashville, Tennessee, orWashington, D.C., for legal studies, ultimately receiving aBachelor of Laws in 1874 fromHoward University School of Law.[1] He later attended lectures on law atColumbia University.[6]
He first married Ellen Eagan, with whom he had five children; their firstborn, Howard Atkinson, rose to become a major in the United States Army. In 1897, the widower married Myra Horner Davis Camden, the widow of JudgeGideon D. Camden.[8]
Atkinson Charleston board of education, 1869-'71, and assistant county superintendent of public schools, 1868-'70. became the assistant superintendent of public schools for Kanawha County, serving from 1868 to 1870.[1] For part of this period, Atkinson also collected tolls for the Kanawha River Board (1869 to 1871).[1] He was also the postmaster for Kanawha Courthouse (now Charleston) from 1871 to 1877.[1]
Shortly after graduating from Howard's law school, Atkinson was admitted to the West Virginia bar, beginning a private practice in Charleston from 1875 to 1877.[1] In the final year (1876), he was elected to theWest Virginia House of Delegates.[9] Atkinson moved toWheeling in 1877,[6] and edited theWheeling Standard from 1877 to 1878.[1] Atkinson then received his next federal job, as revenue agent for the Bureau of Internal Revenue (now theInternal Revenue Service) of theUnited States Department of the Treasury in Wheeling from 1879 to 1881.[1] He then became theUnited States Marshal for the District of West Virginia from 1881 to 1885.[1]
Atkinson ran for Congress as aRepublican to representWest Virginia's 1st congressional district. Although he appeared to lose, he successfully contested the election ofUnited States RepresentativeJohn O. Pendleton to theUnited States House of Representatives of the51st United States Congress, so served approximately the final year of the term, from February 26, 1890, to March 3, 1891.[6] Atkinson did not run for reelection in 1890.[6]
Following his departure from Congress, Atkinson returned to his legal practice from 1891 to 1896 as well as the newspaper business. He became editor of theWest Virginia Journal in Wheeling during the same period.[1]
Atkinson upset DemocratCornelius C. Watts to become the 10thGovernor of West Virginia, serving from 1897 to 1901. Democrats had ruled the state for 26 years, but West Virginia faced a fiscal crisis. Atkinson worked against corruption in politics and professional lobbying. He also negotiated with Republican party leader and U.S. SenatorStephen B. Elkins, who eventually agreed to a tax increase. However, concessions split the party's reform wing. Nonetheless, Atkinson worked for an eight-hour workday, to prohibit employing children under 14 years of age, improved working conditions for women, and safety regulations in manufacturing and mining. In addition to speaking out against racistJim Crow legislation being adopted by neighboring states whichdisenfranchised most blacks and poor whites, Atkinson championed high-quality public education, a permanent road system, and open and equal immigration.[3]After Atkinson's gubernatorial term ended, President Roosevelt named him (and the Senate confirmed him as) theUnited States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, a position he held from 1901 to 1905.[10]
PresidentTheodore Roosevelt on April 15, 1905, gave Atkinson received arecess appointment, to a seat on theCourt of Claims (later theUnited States Court of Claims) vacated by JudgeLawrence Weldon.[1] Roosevelt formally nominated Atkinson for the post on December 5, 1905.[1] Confirmed by theUnited States Senate on January 16, 1906, Atkinson received his commission the same day.[1] He resigned on April 16, 1916, months before his 71st birthday.[1]
Atkinson returned to Charleston and continued to write, as well as remained active in the Republican Party. In 1918 he supported the candidacy ofT. Gillis Nutter, an African-American attorney from Charleston, for the state legislature.[11] Nutter also won re-election, and was nearly the only black to occupy statewide office in the South.[11]
Atkinson wrote 11 books of poetry and non-fiction, includingHistory of Kanawha County (1876),West Virginia Pulpit (1878)After the Moonshiners (1881),Revenue Digest (1880);A.B.C. of the Tariff(1882);Don't, or Negative Chips from Blocks of Living Truths (1886);Psychology Simplified (1887),Prominent Men of West Virginia (1890),[12] poems (1899) andBench and Bar of West Virginia (1919).[9][3]
Atkinson died on April 4, 1925, in Charleston.[1] He was interred in Charleston's historicSpring Hill Cemetery.
Atkinson received severalhonorary degrees, including anLL.D. fromU.S. Grant University, an LL.D. from theUniversity of Nashville in 1890, and aD.C.L. fromWest Virginia University in 1897.[citation needed]
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Johnson, Rossiter, ed. (1906). "Atkinson, George Wesley".The Biographical Dictionary of America. Vol. 1. Boston: American Biographical Society. p. 159.| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas E. Davis | Republican nominee forGovernor of West Virginia 1896 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | 10th Governor of West Virginia 1897–1901 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromWest Virginia's 1st congressional district 1890–1891 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Judge of theCourt of Claims 1905–1916 | Succeeded by |
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