West Virginia’s rich history is filled with significant events that have shaped the state. On November 24, 2008, former Governor Cecil Underwood passed away in Charleston, leaving behind a legacy as the state’s youngest and oldest chief executive. In 2015, mathematician Katherine Johnson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work at NASA.
On November 25, 1896, athlete Clinton Cyrus Thomas was born in Kentucky and later settled in Charleston after a successful career in the Negro Leagues. Tragically, on November 26, 1952, a fire at Huntington State Hospital claimed the lives of 17 patients, making it the deadliest fire in state history.
The Constitutional Convention of 1861-63 laid the foundation for West Virginia’s state government on November 26, 1861. Politician Shelley Moore Capito was born on the same day in 1953, later becoming the first woman from the state to serve in the U.S. Senate.
From influential educators to renowned actresses, West Virginia’s history is as diverse as it is impactful.
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