US Congressman, Governor of Virginia. He was a United States Representative from Virginia from 1884 to 1893 and the 42nd Governor of Virginia from 1894 to 1898. After his father's sudden death, a 15-year-old O'Ferrall was appointed Clerk Pro Tempore of the Circuit Court of Morgan County, Virginia, which is now West Virginia, and was elected Clerk of the County Court in 1857, serving in that position until the outbreak of the American Civil War. Siding with the South, he enlisted as a private in the 12th Virginia cavalry in 1861 and rose to command, at the rank of Colonel, in the cavalry in the Shenandoah Valley by the close of the Civil War. He received severe wounds at the Battle of Upperville in Mississippi. He was wounded eight times during the war and had chronic health problems as a result. While in Mississippi, he married Annie McClain on February 8, 1865. After the war ended, he started a business career and studied law at Washington College in Lexington, graduating in 1869. He was then elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, serving for three sessions from 1871 to 1873. He was subsequently elected to six terms in Congress, resigning in 1893 to become a candidate for governor. While governor, he had the challenge of a miners' strike and had to send the state militia to the site. His governorship was highlighted by his willingness to use strong measures to preserve law and order. After sending the militia to calm angry mobs, there was dramatic decline in the number of Black lynchings while he was governor. After the governorship ended in 1898, he attempted a law practice in Richmond, but his health was declining. In 1904, he authored "Forty Years of Active Service." He and his first wife had two children before her death. In 1881 he married Jennie Wickliff Knight, the widow of Henry Danforth, and the couple had four children.
US Congressman, Governor of Virginia. He was a United States Representative from Virginia from 1884 to 1893 and the 42nd Governor of Virginia from 1894 to 1898. After his father's sudden death, a 15-year-old O'Ferrall was appointed Clerk Pro Tempore of the Circuit Court of Morgan County, Virginia, which is now West Virginia, and was elected Clerk of the County Court in 1857, serving in that position until the outbreak of the American Civil War. Siding with the South, he enlisted as a private in the 12th Virginia cavalry in 1861 and rose to command, at the rank of Colonel, in the cavalry in the Shenandoah Valley by the close of the Civil War. He received severe wounds at the Battle of Upperville in Mississippi. He was wounded eight times during the war and had chronic health problems as a result. While in Mississippi, he married Annie McClain on February 8, 1865. After the war ended, he started a business career and studied law at Washington College in Lexington, graduating in 1869. He was then elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, serving for three sessions from 1871 to 1873. He was subsequently elected to six terms in Congress, resigning in 1893 to become a candidate for governor. While governor, he had the challenge of a miners' strike and had to send the state militia to the site. His governorship was highlighted by his willingness to use strong measures to preserve law and order. After sending the militia to calm angry mobs, there was dramatic decline in the number of Black lynchings while he was governor. After the governorship ended in 1898, he attempted a law practice in Richmond, but his health was declining. In 1904, he authored "Forty Years of Active Service." He and his first wife had two children before her death. In 1881 he married Jennie Wickliff Knight, the widow of Henry Danforth, and the couple had four children.
Bio by: Garver Graver
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