West Virginia

The western and northwestern parts of Virginia refused to be bound by the ordinance of sece ion of April 17, 1861. A convention was called at Wheeling in May, 1861, which summoned a State convention. This convention refused to recognize the State officers who were in opposition to the National Government, elected Frank Pierpont Governor of Virginia, and called a State Legislature to meet at Wheeling. The convention voted to erect a new State to be called Kanawha, and the State Legislature, which had been called by this convention and which claimed to be the Legislature of the State of Virginia, gave its consent to the division of the State. West Virginia became a State of the Union June 19, 1863. An amendment to the State constitution of date 1866 disfranchised all peraons who had aided the Rebellion. Until 1870 the State was controlled by the Republicans. The ‘‘ Flick Amendment,” 1871, extended the suffrage to negroes and removed the disfranchising clause of 1866. In 1872 Grant carried the ' State by a small majority, since which time the State has been steadily Democratic. The population of West Virginia in 1870 was 442,014; in 1890 it was 762,794. 370