Charleston WV – The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history. To read more, go to e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia at www.wvencyclopedia.org.
Oct. 25, 1918: Athlete Marshall “Biggie” Goldberg was born in Elkins. He led the Chicago Cardinals to the NFL championship in 1947 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1958.
Oct. 25, 1951: Writer Denise Giardina was born in Bluefield and raised in neighboring McDowell County. She is best known as a novelist and also has a long history of community activism, including a run for governor.
Oct. 26, 1801: Jefferson County was established from a portion of Berkeley County by the Virginia General Assembly and named for Thomas Jefferson.
Oct. 26, 1934: Athlete Rodney Clark “Hot Rod” Hundley was born in Charleston. Hundley earned first team All-American recognition his senior year at West Virginia University. He averaged 24.5 points per game and scored 2,180 points over his college career, ranking second in WVU history.
Oct. 27, 1879: Howard B. Lee was born in Wirt County. He was elected state attorney general in 1924, and served for eight challenging years. His term saw the impeachment of a state auditor, the lawlessness of Prohibition, and labor troubles in the coalfields.
Oct. 28, 1972: Brad Paisley was born in Glen Dale. Paisley has received the Entertainer of the Year award from the Country Music Association and 14 Academy of Country Music Awards.
Oct. 29, 1861: Confederate commander Robert E. Lee ended his ill-fated western Virginia campaign. His three months in the region were marked by rain, mud, inexperienced officers, diseases among the troops, and rampant criticism of his leadership.
Oct. 29-30, 2012: Following Hurricane Sandy, heavy wet snow fell across West Virginia. With accumulations approaching 40 inches, it surpassed all previously known October snowstorms.
Oct. 30, 1825: Randolph McCoy was born in Logan County. In 1878, McCoy’s accusation against a cousin of Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield for stealing a hog set off a deadly series of events in the Hatfield-McCoy Feud.
Oct. 31, 1877: Herman Guy Kump was born in Capon Springs, Hampshire County. He was the 19th governor of West Virginia, serving from 1933 to 1937.
Oct. 31, 1940: Gale Catlett, West Virginia University basketball player and coach, was born in Hedgesville. Catlett coached WVU to 13 20-win seasons before he retired in 2002.
Oct. 31, 1946: Labor leader Cecil Edward Roberts Jr. was born on Cabin Creek, Kanawha County. A sixth-generation coal miner and a fiery orator, Roberts has served as president of the United Mine Workers of America since 1995.
