List of people from West Virginia

Last updated April 28, 2024

This is a list of prominent people from the territory that now makes up the U.S. state of West Virginia.

Athletes

A–G

Michael Barber, professional football player
Randy Barnes (born 1966), shotputter
Larry Barnett (born 1945), baseball umpire
Clair Bee, college basketball coach
Vern Bickford, professional baseball player
Brian Bowles, UFC/MMA fighter
Rich Braham, professional football coach
George Brett, professional baseball player
Vicky Bullett, professional basketball player
Lew Burdette, professional baseball player
Jesse Burkett, professional baseball player
Necro Butcher, professional wrestler
Eddie Cameron, college basketball coach
Mark Canterbury, professional wrestler
David Carpenter, professional baseball player
Bimbo Coles, professional basketball player
Wilbur Cooper, professional baseball player
Larry Coyer, professional football coach
Dan D'Antoni, college basketball coach
Thomas Costello, professional fighter
Mike D'Antoni, professional basketball player and coach
Jack Dempsey, professional boxer
Aaron Dobson, professional football player
Jimbo Fisher, college football coach
Gene Freese, professional baseball player
George Freese, professional baseball player
Bob Gain, professional football player
Frank Gatski, professional football player
Marshall Goldberg, professional football player
C. J. Goodwin, professional football player
Hal Greer, professional basketball player
Jedd Gyorko, professional baseball player

H–M

Dennis Harrah, professional football player
Cam Henderson, college football, basketball, and baseball coach
Lou Holtz, Hall of Fame college football coach
Alexis Hornbuckle, professional basketball player
Jeff Hostetler, professional football player
J. R. House, professional baseball and football player
Chuck Howley, professional football player
Sam Huff, professional football player
Bob Huggins, college basketball coach
Hot Rod Hundley, professional basketball player and broadcaster
Gary Jeter, professional football player
James Jett, professional football player
Dwayne Jones, professional basketball player
Bill Karr, professional football player
Jason Kincaid, professional wrestler^[1]
John Kruk, professional baseball player
Carl Lee, professional football player
Doug Legursky, professional football player
Gino Marchetti, professional football player
Rod Martin, professional football player
Chris Massey, professional football player
O. J. Mayo, professional basketball player
Bill Mazeroski, professional baseball player
Leo Mazzone, professional baseball player
Seth McClung, professional baseball player
John McKay, college and professional football coach
Leland Merrill, Olympic wrestler, WV's first Olympian
Renee Montgomery, professional basketball player
Eric Moss, professional football player
Randy Moss, professional football player

N–Z

Mary Lou Retton Retton-m.jpg — Mary Lou Retton

Jason Williams J-Will.jpg — Jason Williams

Greasy Neale, Hall of Fame college and professional football coach
Dustin Nippert, professional baseball player
Jamie Noble, professional wrestler (WWE)
Buzz Nutter, professional football player
Peggy O'Neal, Australian Rules football president
Patrick Patterson, professional basketball player
Joe Pettini, professional baseball coach
Kevin Pittsnogle, college basketball player
Tom Pridemore, professional football player
Paul Popovich, professional baseball player
Mary Lou Retton, professional gymnast
Ira Rodgers, college football coach
Rich Rodriguez, college football coach
Nick Saban, professional and college football coach
Ben Schwartzwalder, Hall of Fame college football coach
Heath Slater, professional wrestler (WWE)
Tamar Slay, professional basketball player
Stephanie Sparks, professional golfer and commentator
Ray Stevens, professional wrestler
Emanuel Steward, boxing trainer
Bill Stewart, college football coach
Joe Stydahar, professional football player
Nick Swisher, professional baseball player
Steve Swisher, professional baseball player
Ryan Switzer, professional football player
Rod Thorn, basketball player and executive
Rick Tolley, college football coach
Bill Walker, professional basketball player
Fulton Walker, professional football player
Robert Walker, professional football player
Curt Warner, professional football player
Jerry West, professional basketball player
Deron Williams, professional basketball player
Jason Williams, professional basketball player
Kayla Williams, world champion gymnast^[2]
Alex Wilson, professional baseball player
Hack Wilson, professional baseball player
Quincy Wilson, professional football player
Steve Yeager, professional baseball player
Fielding H. Yost, Hall of Fame college football coach
Guy Zinn, professional baseball player

Business

Don Blankenship, chief executive officer of Massey Energy
John T. Chambers, chief executive officer of Cisco Systems
Carl Keith, inventor
William Luke, businessman and entrepreneur
George Preston Marshall, owner and president of Washington Commanders
William N. Page, civil engineer, entrepreneur, capitalist, businessman, and industrialist
Milan Puskar, entrepreneur, philanthropist, co-founder of Mylan
Alex Schoenbaum, founder of Shoney's restaurant chain
Harry F. Sinclair, industrialist
Brad D. Smith, chief executive officer of Intuit, Inc.
Ellsworth Milton Statler, hotel businessman
Clarence Wayland Watson, businessman
Allen Harvey Woodward, industrialist

Entertainment

A–G

Hasil Adkins, musician
Michael Ammar, magician
Karen Austin, actress
Charlie Barnett, actor, comedian
Lina Basquette, actress
Leon "Chu" Berry, jazz saxophonist
Chris Booker, radio DJ, TV personality
Bobby Campo, actor
Mark Carman, producer, songwriter
Jean Carson, actress
Bernie Casey, actor
Ted Cassidy, actor
Joe Cerisano, singer-songwriter
Michael Cerveris, actor, singer-songwriter
John Davis Chandler, actor
Larry Combs, clarinetist
Stoney Cooper, country/bluegrass singer
Wilma Lee Cooper, country/bluegrass singer
John Corbett, actor
Billy Cox, bassist
George Crumb, composer
Phyllis Curtin, operatic soprano, NYCO
Frank De Vol, film composer, actor
Joyce DeWitt, actress; Three's Company
Hazel Dickens, bluegrass singer
Little Jimmy Dickens, country singer; Country Music Hall of Fame inductee
Brad Divens, vocalist, musician, Wrathchild America, Kix
Paul Dooley, actor, writer and comedian
Brad Dourif, actor
Joanne Dru, actress
Greg Dulli, singer, The Afghan Whigs
Virginia Egnor (also known as Dagmar), actress, model, TV personality
Conchata Ferrell, actress
Sierra Ferrell, singer-songwriter
Virginia Fox, silent-film actress; frequent co-star with Buster Keaton
Jennifer Garner, actress
Randy Gilkey, singer-songwriter
Larry Groce, musician, radio personality

H–M

Don Knotts DonKnotts1961.jpg — Don Knotts

Ed Haley, blind professional fiddler
Joshua Harto, actor, writer, producer
Steve Harvey, comedian, TV personality
Hawkshaw Hawkins, country music singer
Allison Hayes, actress
Blind Joe Hill, one-man band
Frank Hutchison, slide guitar player
Katie Lee Joel, television host
Johnnie Johnson, blues musician
Daniel Johnston, musician, artist; subject of film The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Lawrence Kasdan, director, producer, screenwriter
Lesli Kay, actress, As The World Turns , The Bold and the Beautiful
Fuzzy Knight, actor
Don Knotts, actor
Shannon Larkin, musician, Godsmack
Rex Lease, actor
Jake E. Lee, rock guitarist
Kristi Lee, TV personality, director of The Bob & Tom Show
Traci Lords, actress
Ann Magnuson, actress
Peter Marshall, musician, actor, host of TV's Hollywood Squares
Kathy Mattea, country and bluegrass performer
Charlie McCoy, musician
Russ McCubbin, actor, stuntman, comedian
Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Griffin McElroy, hosts of My Brother, My Brother and Me
Elizabeth McLaughlin, actress
Garnet Mimms, soul singer
Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., singer, winner of America's Got Talent, Season 6 (2010)
Lou Myers, actor

N–Z

Tim O'Brien, bluegrass musician
Brooklyn Nelson, actress
Devon Odessa, producer, actress, My So-Called Life
Brad Paisley, country singer-songwriter
Will Pan, rapper, actor
Sam Pancake, actor
Squire Parsons, gospel singer
Johnny Paycheck, country musician
Rachel Proctor, country singer-songwriter
Don Redman, jazz musician and bandleader
Ashlie Rhey, actress, writer
Jeff Richmond, producer, composer
Walter E. "Jack" Rollins, songwriter
Chris Weaver, musician
Soupy Sales, actor and comedian
Frank "Poncho" Sampedro, guitarist for Neil Young's band
Chris Sarandon, actor, activist
David Selby, actor
Robert R. Shafer, actor
Bill Slater, radio personality, host of Twenty Questions
Connie Smith, country singer, Country Music Hall of Fame inductee
Fred "Sonic" Smith, guitarist for MC5
Michael W. Smith, contemporary Christian singer-songwriter
Red Sovine, country singer
Morgan Spurlock, film director, screenwriter
Blaze Starr, stripper and burlesque star
Aaron Staton, actor; Mad Men
Eleanor Steber, soprano, The Metropolitan Opera, NYC
Josh Stewart, actor
Sam Trammell, actor, True Blood
Ryan Upchurch, Country, Rap and Rock song writer
Teddy Weatherford, jazz pianist
Patty Weaver, actress
Donald Ray White, mountain dancer
Jesse "Jesco" White, mountain dancer
Steve Whiteman, former Kix singer
Garland Wilson, jazz pianist
Melvin Wine, fiddler
Bill Withers, singer-songwriter
J. T. Woodruff, Hawthorne Heights singer
Bobby Wright, country singer
Frankie Yankovic, polka musician

Tyler Robertson,bluegrass singer/musician
Kevin Cassidy, gospel/ retired country singer

Frontiersmen

Patrick Gass, frontiersman
Morgan Morgan, frontiersman
Lewis Wetzel, frontiersman

Journalism

William E. Chilton, newspaper publisher and politician
J. R. Clifford, journalist, first African-American lawyer in West Virginia; founder of the Pioneer Press
George Esper, newspaper reporter; known for his coverage of the Vietnam War for the Associated Press
John S. Knight, newspaper publisher and editor
Hoda Kotb, television reporter; host of Today
Molly Line, news correspondent for Fox News Channel
Herbert Morrison, radio reporter; known for his coverage of the Hindenburg disaster
Asra Nomani, Indian-American journalist, author, and feminist
Mike Patrick, sportscaster
Michael Tomasky, newspaper writer and editor
Carter G. Woodson, historian, author, and journalist

Literature and art

Booker T. Washington BookerTWashington-Cheynes.LOC.jpg — Booker T. Washington

Allen Appel, novelist
Annie Latham Bartlett, sculptor
John Peale Bishop, poet, man of letters
Florence V. Brittingham, poet and short story writer
Pearl S. Buck, writer and Nobel Prize winner
Bob Carroll, historian, author
Stephen Coonts, novelist
Rebecca Harding Davis, short story writer
Alice Mary Dowd, educator and author
Henry Louis Gates Jr., author, educator, and scholar
Denise Giardina, author
Linda Goodman, poet, novelist, best-selling astrology writer
Davis Grubb, novelist
Charley Harper, artist
Homer Hickam, writer
Craig Johnson, novelist
John Knowles, novelist
William Robinson Leigh, artist
Keith Maillard, novelist, poet
Scott McClanahan, writer
Brooke McEldowney, cartoonist; creator of 9 Chickweed Lane comic strip
Ehrman Syme Nadal, author
Breece D'J Pancake, short fiction writer, author of Trilobites
Roger Price, creator of Mad Libs and Droodles
Jedediah Purdy, author and professor
Mary Lee Settle, author
Beau Smith, comic book writer
Jean Edward Smith, biographer
David Hunter Strother (aka Porte Crayon), artist
Timothy Truman, writer, artist, and musician
Jeannette Walls, author and columnist
Booker T. Washington, political leader, educator, and author
Tom Wilson, creator of Ziggy comic strip

Military

John James Abert, explorer and soldier
Earl E. Anderson, U.S. Marine Corps general
John Ashby, frontiersman and soldier
Woodrow Wilson Barr, U.S. Marine
Ted Belcher, U.S. Army soldier, Medal of Honor recipient
Ruby Bradley, most-decorated woman in U.S. military history^{[ citation needed ]}
Frank Buckles, last-surviving U.S. veteran of World War I ^{[ citation needed ]}
Adelbert Rinaldo Buffington, U.S. Army Brigadier General, 10th Chief of Ordnance for the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps
French Ensor Chadwick, U.S. Navy officer and educator
Lynndie England, U.S. Army reservist involved in the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal
Stonewall Jackson, C.S. Army general born in Clarksburg and died before the region was formed into West Virginia
Albert G. Jenkins, general and politician
Jonah Edward Kelley, U.S. Army soldier; Medal of Honor recipient
Edwin Gray Lee, C.S. Army general born in Shepherdstown before it became part of the newly formed West Virginia
Carwood Lipton, U.S. Army soldier
John P. Lucas, U.S. Army general; commander at Battle of Anzio
Jessica Lynch, prisoner of war
Basil L. Plumley, U.S. Army command sergeant major
William E. Shuck Jr., U.S. Marine, Medal of Honor recipient
M. Jeff. Thompson, Mo. State Guard general
Hershel W. Williams, U.S. Marine, Medal of Honor recipient
John Yarnall, U.S. Navy officer
Chuck Yeager, aviator

Politics and government

Cyrus Vance CyrusVanceSoS.jpg — Cyrus Vance

Newton D. Baker, politician
William Wallace Barron, politician
John J. Beckley, frontiersman and Librarian of Congress
Ephraim Bee, frontiersman and politician
Charles Bent, frontiersman and politician
Arthur I. Boreman, politician
Sylvia Mathews Burwell, politician, University President
Harry F. Byrd, politician
Robert Byrd, U.S. Senator and majority leader, longest-serving member of Senate (51 years, 5 months, 21 days)^[3]
Gaston Caperton, politician
Shelley Moore Capito, politician
Thomas R. Carper, economist and politician
John J. Cornwell, politician
Henry G. Davis, politician
John W. Davis, politician and attorney, Democratic Party nominee for U.S. President (1924)
Stephen Benton Elkins, politician
Sarah Feinberg (born 1977), Interim President of the New York City Transit Authority, and former Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration
Walter Lowrie Fisher, U.S. Secretary of Interior
Mark Funkhouser, politician; mayor of Kansas City, Missouri
William E. Glasscock, politician
Nathan Goff Jr., politician
Howard Mason Gore, politician
Henry D. Hatfield, politician
Ken Hechler, politician and author
Brad Hoylman (born 1965), New York State Senator^[4]
John J. Jacob, politician
Evan Jenkins, state senator
Elizabeth Kee, politician
John E. Kenna, politician
Chief Logan, Native-American leader
William A. MacCorkle, politician
Joe Manchin, politician
William C. Marland, politician
Thomas Massie, congressman
Bruce Marks (born 1957), politician
Roy L. McCulty, politician
Arch A. Moore Jr., politician
Dwight Morrow, diplomat; father-in-law of Charles Lindbergh
Matthew M. Neely, politician
Bob Ney, politician
William Smith O'Brien, Representative
Okey L. Patteson, politician
Francis Harrison Pierpont, politician, "father of West Virginia"
Nick Rahall, politician
Jennings Randolph, politician
Absalom Willis Robertson, politician
Jay Rockefeller, politician
Hulett C. Smith, politician
William E. Stevenson, politician
Cecil H. Underwood, politician
Cyrus Vance, U.S. Secretary of State
Charles Washington, statesman
Erik Wells, politician and news anchor
Kelli Ward, politician
Bob Wise, politician

Religion

Alexander Campbell, Restoration Movement leader
Matthew W. Clair, Methodist Episcopal Church bishop
Belle Caldwell Culbertson, missionary, author, philanthropist
T. D. Jakes, televangelist
B. R. Lakin, evangelist

Science

Eugene Aserinsky, discovered rapid eye movement sleep (REM)
Maurice Brooks, ornithologist
Earl Lemley Core, botanist
Homer Hickam, former NASA engineer
Andrew Delmar Hopkins, entomologist
Katherine Johnson, mathematician and NASA computer scientist
Carl D. Keith, chemist, invented three-way catalytic converter
Angie Turner King, chemist, mathematician and educator
Mahlon Loomis, inventor of the wireless telegraph
Robert J. Marks II, electrical engineer
Joseph Maroon, neurosurgeon
Jon McBride, NASA astronaut; pilot of Space Shuttle Challenger mission STS-41-G (1984)
Adrian Melott, physicist and cosmologist
George A. Miller, psychologist and cognitive scientist
John Forbes Nash, mathematician
James Rumsey, inventor and mechanical engineer
Charles Marstiller Vest, educator and mechanical engineer

Other

James J. Andrews, espionage agent
Bill Blizzard, labor leader
Julia Bonds, environmental activist; winner of Goldman Prize
Belle Boyd, espionage agent
James Caudy, frontiersman and early settler of present day West Virginia
Larry Gibson, environmental activist; founder of Keeper of the Mountains Foundation
Nancy Hanks, mother of Abraham Lincoln; distant cousin of Tom Hanks
Devil Anse Hatfield, patriarch of Hatfield clan of 19th-century Hatfield–McCoy feud
Sid Hatfield, Matewan police chief, prominent figure in labor history
Jacob and Samuel Hawken, designers of Hawken rifle
Kristan Hawkins, activist and President of Students for Life of America
John Henry, steel-driving man of folklore
Glen and Bessie Hyde, disappeared raftsmen
Anna Jarvis, founder of Mother's Day in United States
Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, labor and community organizer
Charles Manson, convicted murderer
Randal McCloy, lone survivor of 2006 Sago Mine disaster
James Mulroy, Wheeling's prodigal son; environmental advocate
Stephen Murphy, ex-DEA agent; along with Javier Peña, one of the lead investigators in the manhunt of Colombian drug smuggler Pablo Escobar
Harry Powers, serial killer
Patsy Paugh Ramsey, Miss West Virginia; mother of JonBenét Ramsey
Walter Reuther, labor leader
Cecil Roberts, United Mine Workers president
Leon Sullivan, civil rights activist
Harry R. Truman, volcano victim; owner of lodge at Mount St. Helens
Jack Whittaker, lottery winner

References

↑ NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.
↑ "Williams Vaults to Gold at Worlds". ESPN. October 17, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
↑ http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/07/politics/btn-congressional-tenure/ CNN Politics, Senator Byrd's record as longest serving member of the U.S. Congress was surpassed by U.S. Representative John Dingell of Michigan in 2013. Senator Byrd still holds the record as the longest serving U.S. Senator (51 years, 5 months, 21 days), but his 57 years, 5 months, 21 days of service in the U.S. Congress is no longer the longest record of Congressional service.
↑ "Senator Brad Hoylman". December 21, 2012.

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[1] NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.

[2] "Williams Vaults to Gold at Worlds". ESPN. October 17, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2011.

[3] ttp://www.cnn.com/2013/06/07/politics/btn-congressional-tenure/ CNN Politics, Senator Byrd's record as longest serving member of the U.S. Congress was surpassed by U.S. Representative John Dingell of Michigan in 2013. Senator Byrd still holds the record as the longest serving U.S. Senator (51 years, 5 months, 21 days), but his 57 years, 5 months, 21 days of service in the U.S. Congress is no longer the longest record of Congressional service.

[4] "Senator Brad Hoylman". December 21, 2012.

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v t e State of West Virginia
Charleston (capital)
Topics	Outline Cities Towns Villages Magisterial districts Census-designated places Environment Government Governors Delegations Elections History People Symbols Tourist attractions
Society	Abortion Culture Climate change Crime Demographics Economy Education Colleges and universities Gun laws LGBT rights Mass media Newspapers Radio TV
Insignia	Coat of arms Flag Motto Seal
Regions	Allegheny Mountains Allegheny Plateau Blue Ridge Mountains Charleston metropolitan area Cumberland Mountains Cumberland Plateau Eastern Panhandle Huntington metropolitan area North Central Ohio Valley Northern Panhandle Potomac Highlands Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians Shenandoah Valley Southern Washington–Baltimore metropolitan area
Metro areas	Bluefield Charleston Hagerstown–Martinsburg Huntington–Ashland Morgantown Parkersburg–Marietta–Vienna Washington Weirton–Steubenville Wheeling Winchester
Largest cities	Beckley Charleston Clarksburg Fairmont Huntington Martinsburg Morgantown Parkersburg Weirton Wheeling
Counties	Barbour Berkeley Boone Braxton Brooke Cabell Calhoun Clay Doddridge Fayette Gilmer Grant Greenbrier Hampshire Hancock Hardy Harrison Jackson Jefferson Kanawha Lewis Lincoln Logan Marion Marshall Mason McDowell Mercer Mineral Mingo Monongalia Monroe Morgan Nicholas Ohio Pendleton Pleasants Pocahontas Preston Putnam Raleigh Randolph Ritchie Roane Summers Taylor Tucker Tyler Upshur Wayne Webster Wetzel Wirt Wood Wyoming
West Virginiaportal

v t e Lists of people by U.S. state
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Federal district	Washington, D.C.
Insular areas	American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands