List of Princeton University people (United States Congress, Supreme Court, Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention)
House of Representatives
Table:
Name

Affiliation

State

Service

Notes

Refs

Evan Alexander

B 1787

North Carolina

1806–09

[99]

Bruce Alger

B 1940

Texas

1955–65

[100]

Willis Alston

Att

North Carolina

1825–31

[101]

Abram Andrew

B 1893, T 1932–36

Massachusetts

1921–26

[102]

Arthur Glenn Andrews

B 1931

Alabama

1965–67

[103]

Walter Gresham Andrews

B 1913, Football coach 1913–15

New York

1931–49

[104]

John Archer

B 1760

Maryland

1801–07

[105]

Stevenson Archer I

B 1805

Maryland

1811–17, 1819–21

[106]

Stevenson Archer II

B 1848

Maryland

1867–75

[107]

James Armstrong

Att

Pennsylvania

1793–95

[108]

William Armstrong

B 1847

Pennsylvania

1869–71

[109]

John Bacon

B 1765

Massachusetts

1801–03

[110]

Alexander Bailey

B 1837

New York

1867–71

[111]

Joseph Bailey

B 1915

Texas

1933–35

[112]

David Bard

B 1773

Pennsylvania

1795–99, 1803–15

[113]

James W. Bates

B 1807

Arkansas Territory

1819–23

Nonvoting Delegate.

[114]

Thomas Bayly

B 1797

Maryland

1817–23

[115]

Thomas M. Bayly

B 1794

Virginia

1813–15

[116]

John Beatty

B 1769, T 1787–1802

New Jersey

1793–95

[117]

Cleve Benedict

B 1959

West Virginia

1981–83

[118]

Drawing on the provided table and the context paragraphs listed below.

State the answer to the question: What is the affiliation of the person who was reared in Webster Groves , Missouri , a small suburb of St. Louis ? Return your answer as JSON: {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

Evan Shelby Alexander ( c. 1767-October 28 , 1809 ) was a lawyer , legislator from the Salisbury District of North Carolina , and United States Democratic-Republican Party Congressman from North Carolina between 1806 and 1809 .
North Carolina ( /ˌkærəˈlaɪnə/ ( listen ) ) is a U.S. state located in the southeastern region of the United States . North Carolina is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the 50 United States . It is bordered by Virginia to the north , the Atlantic Ocean to the east , Georgia and South Carolina to the south , and Tennessee to the west . Raleigh is the state 's capital and Charlotte is its largest city . The Charlotte metropolitan area , with an estimated population of 2,569,213 in 2018 , is the most populous metropolitan area in North Carolina , the 23rd-most populous in the United States , and the largest banking center in the nation after New York City . The Raleigh metropolitan area is the second-largest metropolitan area in the state , with an estimated population of 1,362,540 in 2018 , and is home to the largest research park in the United States , Research Triangle Park . North Carolina was established as a royal colony in 1729 and is one of the original Thirteen Colonies . North Carolina is named in honor of King Charles I of England who first formed the English colony , with Carolus being Latin for Charles . On November 21 , 1789 , North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the United States Constitution . In the run-up to the American Civil War , North Carolina declared its secession from the Union on May 20 , 1861 , becoming the last of eleven states to join the Confederate States . Following the Civil War , the state was restored to the Union on June 25 , 1868 . On December 17 , 1903 , Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully piloted the world 's first controlled , sustained flight of a powered , heavier-than-air aircraft at Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina 's Outer Banks .
Bruce Reynolds Alger ( June 12 , 1918 - April 13 , 2015 ) was an American politician , real estate agent and developer , and a Republican U.S. representative from Texas , the first to have represented a Dallas district since Reconstruction . He served from 1955 until 1965 . Though born in Dallas , Alger was reared in Webster Groves , Missouri , a small suburb of St. Louis .
Texas ( /ˈtɛksəs/ , locally /ˈtɛksɪz/ ; Spanish : Texas or Tejas , pronounced [ ˈtexas ] ( listen ) ) is the second largest state in the United States by area ( after Alaska ) and population ( after California ) . Located in the South Central region , Texas shares borders with the states of Louisiana to the east , Arkansas to the northeast , Oklahoma to the north , New Mexico to the west , and the Mexican states of Chihuahua , Coahuila , Nuevo León , and Tamaulipas to the southwest , and has a coastline with the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast . Houston is the most populous city in Texas and the fourth largest in the U.S. , while San Antonio is the second-most populous in the state and seventh largest in the U.S. Dallas-Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country , respectively . Other major cities include Austin , the second-most populous state capital in the U.S. , and El Paso . Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State for its former status as an independent republic , and as a reminder of the state 's struggle for independence from Mexico . The Lone Star can be found on the Texas state flag and on the Texas state seal . The origin of Texas 's name is from the word taysha , which means friends in the Caddo language . Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault , Texas contains diverse landscapes common to both the U.S. Southern and Southwestern regions . Although Texas is popularly associated with the U.S. southwestern deserts , less than 10% of Texas 's land area is desert . Most of the population centers are in areas of former prairies , grasslands , forests , and the coastline . Traveling from east to west , one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods , to rolling plains and rugged hills , and finally the desert and mountains of the Big Bend . The term six flags over Texas [ note 1 ] refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory .
Willis Alston ( 1769 - April 10 , 1837 ) was a U.S . Congressman from North Carolina . A member of the Democratic-Republican Party and later a Jacksonian , he served in the 6th through 13th congresses ( 1799-1815 ) and the 19th through 21st congresses ( 1825-1831 ) . He was the nephew of Nathaniel Macon .
Abram Piatt Andrew Jr. ( February 12 , 1873 - June 3 , 1936 ) was an economist , an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury , the founder and director of the American Ambulance Field Service during World War I , and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts .
Massachusetts ( /ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsɪts/ ( listen ) , /-zɪts/ ) , officially known as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts , is the most populous state in the New England region of the northeastern United States . It borders on the Atlantic Ocean to the east , the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south , New Hampshire and Vermont to the north , and New York to the west . The capital of Massachusetts is Boston , which is also the most populous city in New England . It is home to the Greater Boston metropolitan area , a region influential upon American history , academia , and industry . Originally dependent on agriculture , fishing and trade , Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution . During the 20th century , Massachusetts 's economy shifted from manufacturing to services . Modern Massachusetts is a global leader in biotechnology , engineering , higher education , finance , and maritime trade . Plymouth was the site of the second colony in New England after Popham Colony in 1607 in what is now Maine . Plymouth was founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims , passengers of the Mayflower . In 1692 , the town of Salem and surrounding areas experienced one of America 's most infamous cases of mass hysteria , the Salem witch trials . In 1777 , General Henry Knox founded the Springfield Armory , which during the Industrial Revolution catalyzed numerous important technological advances , including interchangeable parts . In 1786 , Shays ' Rebellion , a populist revolt led by disaffected American Revolutionary War veterans , influenced the United States Constitutional Convention .
Arthur Glenn Andrews ( January 15 , 1909 - September 25 , 2008 ) , usually known as Glenn Andrews , was an American politician and a United States Representative from Alabama .
Alabama ( /ˌæləˈbæmə/ ) is a state in the southeastern region of the United States . It is bordered by Tennessee to the north , Georgia to the east , Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south , and Mississippi to the west . Alabama is the 30th largest by area and the 24th-most populous of the U.S. states . With a total of 1,500 miles ( 2,400 km ) of inland waterways , Alabama has among the most of any state . Alabama is nicknamed the Yellowhammer State , after the state bird . Alabama is also known as the Heart of Dixie and the Cotton State . The state tree is the longleaf pine , and the state flower is the camellia . Alabama 's capital is Montgomery . The largest city by population is Birmingham , which has long been the most industrialized city ; the largest city by land area is Huntsville . The oldest city is Mobile , founded by French colonists in 1702 as the capital of French Louisiana . The Greater Birmingham metropolitan area is Alabama 's most populous urban area . From the American Civil War until World War II , Alabama , like many states in the southern U.S. , suffered economic hardship , in part because of its continued dependence on agriculture .
Walter Gresham Andrews ( July 16 , 1889 - March 5 , 1949 ) was an American politician and a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York .
American football , referred to as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron , [ nb 1 ] is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end . The offense , the team with possession of the oval-shaped football , attempts to advance down the field by running with the ball or passing it , while the defense , the team without possession of the ball , aims to stop the offense 's advance and to take control of the ball for themselves . The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs or plays ; if they fail , they turn over the football to the defense , but if they succeed , they are given a new set of four downs to continue the drive . Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team 's end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent 's goalposts for a field goal . The team with the most points at the end of a game wins . American football evolved in the United States , originating from the sports of soccer and rugby . The first American football match was played on November 6 , 1869 , between two college teams , Rutgers and Princeton , using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time . A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp , the Father of American Football , established the snap , the line of scrimmage , eleven-player teams , and the concept of downs . Later rule changes legalized the forward pass , created the neutral zone and specified the size and shape of the football . The sport is closely related to Canadian football , which evolved in parallel with and at the same time as the American game ( although their rules were developed independently from that of Camp 's ) . Most of the features that distinguish American football from rugby and soccer are also present in Canadian football . The two sports are considered the primary variants of gridiron football .
New York is a state located in the Northeastern United States . New York was one of the original thirteen colonies that formed the United States . With an estimated 19.45 million residents in 2019 , it is the fourth most populous state . In order to distinguish the state from its city with the same name , it is commonly referred to as New York State ( NYS ) . The state 's most populous city , New York City , makes up over 40% of the state 's population . Two-thirds of the state 's population lives in the New York metropolitan area , and nearly 40% lives on Long Island . The state and city were both named for the 17th-century Duke of York , the future King James II of England . With an estimated population of 8.39 million in 2018 , New York City is the most populous city in the United States and the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States . The New York metropolitan area is one of the most populous in the world . New York City is a global city , home to the United Nations Headquarters , and has been described as the cultural , financial , and media capital of the world , as well as the world 's most economically powerful city . The next four most populous cities in the state are Buffalo , Rochester , Yonkers , and Syracuse , while the state capital is Albany . The 27th largest U.S. state in land area , New York has a diverse geography .
John Archer ( May 5 , 1741 - September 28 , 1810 ) was a U.S . Congressman and physician from Maryland , representing the sixth district for three terms from 1801-1807 . His son , Stevenson Archer and grandson Stevenson Archer II were also Congressmen from Maryland . Archer was born near Churchville , Maryland , and attended the West Nottingham Academy in Cecil County , Maryland , later graduating from Princeton College in 1760 . He studied theology , but owing to a throat affliction , he abandoned his studies in that area and began the study of medicine . He graduated as a physician from the College of Philadelphia in 1768 , receiving the first medical diploma issued on the American continent . In 1769 , Archer commenced the practice of law in Harford County , Maryland . He was a member of the Revolutionary committee from 1774 to 1776 , and later raised a military company during the American Revolutionary War . He was a member of the first state constitutional convention of 1776 , and served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1777 to 1779 . During the Revolutionary War , Archer was volunteer aide-de-camp to General Anthony Wayne at Stony Point . On June 1 , 1779 , Archer was made a captain and subsequently a major in the Continental Army . Archer was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Seventh , Eighth , and Ninth Congresses , serving from March 4 , 1801 until March 3 , 1807 .
Maryland ( US : /ˈmɛrələnd/ ( listen ) MERR-ə-lənd ) [ a ] is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the eastern United States , bordering Virginia , West Virginia , and the District of Columbia to its south and west ; Pennsylvania to its north ; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to its east . The state 's largest city is Baltimore , and its capital is Annapolis . Among its occasional nicknames are Old Line State , the Free State , and the Chesapeake Bay State . It is named after the English queen Henrietta Maria , known in England as Queen Mary , who was the wife of King Charles I. Sixteen of Maryland 's twenty-three counties , as well as the city of Baltimore , border the tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay estuary and its many tributaries , which combined total more than 4,000 miles of shoreline . Although one of the smallest states in the U.S. , it features a variety of climates and topographical features that have earned it the moniker of America in Miniature . In a similar vein , Maryland 's geography , culture , and history combine elements of the Mid-Atlantic , Northeastern , and South Atlantic regions of the country . Before its coastline was explored by Europeans in the 16th century , Maryland was inhabited by several groups of Native Americans , mostly by the Algonquin , and to a lesser degree by the Iroquois and Sioux . As one of the original Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain , Maryland was founded by George Calvert , a Catholic convert who sought to provide a religious haven for Catholics persecuted in England . In 1632 , Charles I of England granted Calvert a colonial charter , naming the colony after his wife , Queen Mary ( Henrietta Maria of France ) . Unlike the Pilgrims and Puritans , who rejected Catholicism in their settlements , Calvert envisioned a colony where people of different religious sects would coexist under the principle of toleration . Accordingly , in 1649 the Maryland General Assembly passed an Act Concerning Religion , which enshrined this principle by penalizing anyone who reproached a fellow Marylander based on religious affiliation . Nevertheless , religious strife was common in the early years , and Catholics remained a minority , albeit in greater numbers than in any other English colony .
Stevenson Archer ( October 11 , 1786 - June 26 , 1848 ) was a judge and United States Representative from Maryland , representing the sixth district from 1811 to 1817 , and the seventh district from 1819 to 1821 . His son Stevenson Archer and father John Archer were also U.S . Congressmen from Maryland . Archer was born at Medical Hall , near Churchville , Maryland , and attended Nottingham Academy of Maryland , later graduating from Princeton College in 1805 . He studied law , was admitted to the bar of Harford County , Maryland in 1808 , and commenced practice the same year . From 1809-1810 , Archer served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates , and was later elected as a Democrat to the Twelfth United States Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Montgomery . He was reelected to the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Congresses and served from October 26 , 1811 until March 3 , 1817 . Having reached the Constitutional age of service in the House ( 25 years of age ) less than one month prior to taking his seat , Archer was the youngest member of the Twelfth Congress , which was defined at least in part by the injection of youth into the government . Archer was one of the firmest supporters of the War Hawk agenda in Congress , consistently voting for military preparation and the War of 1812 . In Congress , Archer served as chairman of the Committee on Claims ( Thirteenth Congress ) , and as a member of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Navy ( Fourteenth Congress ) . During the War of 1812 , he was paymaster to the Fortieth Maryland Militia , and was appointed on March 5 , 1817 by President James Madison as United States judge for the Territory of Mississippi , with powers of Governor , holding court at St. Stephens . Archer resigned within a year , and returned to Maryland to continue his law practice .
Stevenson Archer ( February 28 , 1827 - August 2 , 1898 ) was a U.S . Congressman from Maryland , serving the second district for four terms in 1867-1875 .
James Armstrong ( August 29 , 1748 - May 6 , 1828 ) was an American physician , judge , and politician .
Pennsylvania ( /ˌpɛnsəlˈveɪniə/ ( listen ) PEN-səl-VAY-nee-ə ) , officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , is a state located in the Northeastern , Great Lakes , Appalachian , and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States . The Appalachian Mountains run through its middle . The Commonwealth is bordered by Delaware to the southeast , Maryland to the south , West Virginia to the southwest , Ohio to the west , Lake Erie and the Canadian province of Ontario to the northwest , New York to the north , and New Jersey to the east . Pennsylvania is the 33rd-largest state by area , and the 5th-most populous state according to the most recent official U.S. Census count in 2010 . It is the 9th-most densely populated of the 50 states . Pennsylvania 's two most populous cities are Philadelphia ( 1,580,863 ) , and Pittsburgh ( 302,407 ) . The state capital and its 10th-largest city is Harrisburg . Pennsylvania has 140 miles ( 225 km ) of waterfront along Lake Erie and the Delaware River . The state is one of the 13 original founding states of the United States ; it came into being in 1681 as a result of a royal land grant to William Penn , the son of the state 's namesake . Part of Pennsylvania ( along the Delaware River ) , together with the present State of Delaware , had earlier been organized as the Colony of New Sweden . It was the second state to ratify the United States Constitution , on December 12 , 1787 . Independence Hall , where the United States Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were drafted , is located in the state 's largest city of Philadelphia .
William Hepburn Armstrong ( September 7 , 1824 - May 14 , 1919 ) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania 's 18th congressional district from 1869 to 1871 . William H. Armstrong was born in Williamsport , Pennsylvania . He graduated from Princeton College in 1847 . He studied law , was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Williamsport . He served in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives in 1860 and 1861 . He declined a commission as president judge of the twenty-sixth judicial circuit of Pennsylvania in 1862 . Armstrong was elected as a Republican to the Forty-first Congress . He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1870 . He declined the office of commissioner of Indian affairs tendered by President Ulysses S. Grant . He served as commissioner of railroads from 1882 to 1885 . He resumed the practice of law in Washington , D.C. , and Philadelphia , until 1898 , when he retired from active business pursuits . He moved to Wilmington , Delaware , where he died in 1919 .
John Bacon ( April 5 , 1738 - October 25 , 1820 ) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts . John Bacon was born in Canterbury , Connecticut on April 5 , 1738 . Upon graduating from Princeton College he spent some time preaching in Somerset County , Maryland . On 25 September 1771 he and Mr. John Hunt were appointed as colleague pastors over the Old South Church in Boston , Massachusetts . Bacon ran into difficulties with his congregation over doctrinal issues and his preaching style , which was described as argumentative . approaching the severe . He was dismissed from the Old South Church on 8 February 1775 .
Alexander Hamilton Bailey ( August 14 , 1817 - April 20 , 1874 ) was an American politician , a United States Representative and judge from New York .
Joseph Weldon Bailey Jr. ( December 15 , 1892 - July 17 , 1943 ) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas . His father , Joseph Weldon Bailey , was a member of both houses of the United States Congress .
David Bard ( 1744 - March 12 , 1815 ) was a United States Representative from Pennsylvania . Born at Carroll 's Delight , Adams County , Pennsylvania , he graduated from Princeton College ( New Jersey ) in 1773 . He studied theology and was licensed to preach by the Donegal Presbytery in 1777 ; he was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry at Lower Conotheague in 1779 , and was a missionary in Virginia and west of the Allegheny Mountains . From 1786 to 1789 he was a pastor at Bedford , Pennsylvania , and later at Frankstown ( now Hollidaysburg , Pennsylvania ) . Bard was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Fourth and Fifth Congresses , serving from March 4 , 1795 , to March 3 , 1799 . He was elected as a Republican to the Eighth and to the six succeeding Congresses and served from March 4 , 1803 , until his death in Alexandria , Pennsylvania ; he was interred in Sinking Valley Cemetery , near the hamlet of Arch Spring .
James Woodson Bates ( August 25 , 1788 - December 26 , 1846 ) was an American lawyer and statesman from Sebastian County , Arkansas . He represented the Arkansas Territory as a delegate to the United States House of Representatives .
The Territory of Arkansas , officially the Territory of Arkansaw , and commonly known as the Arkansas Territory or the Arkansaw Territory ( A. T. or Ar . T. ) , was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2 , 1819 , to June 15 , 1836 , when the final extent of Arkansas Territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Arkansas . Robert Crittenden was the Secretary until 1829 and the de facto Governor , preparing Arkansas for statehood .
Thomas Bayly ( September 13 , 1775 - 1829 ) was a U.S . Congressman from the eighth district of Maryland , serving from 1817 to 1823 . Born at the Wellington estate near Quantico , Maryland , Bayly attended private schools and later graduated from Princeton College in 1797 . He studied law , was admitted to the bar , and practiced in Somerset and Worcester Counties , Maryland . Bayly served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1804 to 1814 . He was elected as a Federalist to the Fifteenth Congress and reelected to the Sixteenth and Seventeenth congresses , serving from March 4 , 1817 to March 3 , 1823 . He resumed the practice of law afterwards , and died at his home , Wellington in 1829 . He is interred in the family cemetery on the grounds of his estate .
Thomas Monteagle Bayly ( March 26 , 1775 - January 7 , 1834 ) was an eighteenth and nineteenth century politician , lawyer and planter from Virginia . He was the father of Thomas Henry Bayly .
Virginia ( /vərˈdʒɪniə/ ( listen ) ) , officially the Commonwealth of Virginia , is a state in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States located between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains . The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay , which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna . The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond ; Virginia Beach is the most populous city , and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision . The Commonwealth 's estimated population as of 2018 [ update ] is over 8.5 million . The area 's history begins with several indigenous groups , including the Powhatan . In 1607 the London Company established the Colony of Virginia as the first permanent English colony in the New World . Virginia 's state nickname , the Old Dominion , is a reference to this status . Slave labor and the land acquired from displaced Native American tribes each played a significant role in the colony 's early politics and plantation economy . Virginia was one of the 13 Colonies in the American Revolution . In the American Civil War , Virginia 's Secession Convention resolved to join the Confederacy , and Virginia 's First Wheeling Convention resolved to remain in the Union ; that led to the creation of West Virginia . Although the Commonwealth was under one-party rule for nearly a century following Reconstruction , both major national parties are competitive in modern Virginia . The Virginia General Assembly is the oldest continuous law-making body in the New World .
John Beatty ( December 10 , 1749 - May 30 , 1826 ) was an American physician and statesman from Princeton , New Jersey .
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Northeastern United States . It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York ; on the east , southeast , and south by the Atlantic Ocean ; on the west by the Delaware River and Pennsylvania ; and on the southwest by the Delaware Bay and the State of Delaware . New Jersey is the fourth-smallest state by area but the 11th-most populous , with 9 million residents as of 2017 and an area of 8,722.58 square miles , making it the most densely populated of the 50 U.S. states , with its biggest city being Newark . New Jersey lies completely within the combined statistical areas of New York City and Philadelphia . New Jersey was the second-wealthiest U.S. state by median household income as of 2017 . New Jersey was inhabited by Native Americans for more than 2,800 years , with historical tribes such as the Lenape along the coast . In the early 17th century , the Dutch and the Swedes founded the first European settlements in the state . The English later seized control of the region , naming it the Province of New Jersey after the largest of the Channel Islands , Jersey , and granting it as a colony to Sir George Carteret and John Berkeley , 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton . New Jersey was the site of several important battles during the American Revolutionary War in the 18th century . In the 19th century , factories in the cities Camden , Paterson , Newark , Trenton , Jersey City , and Elizabeth ( known as the Big Six ) , helped drive the Industrial Revolution . New Jersey 's geographic location at the center of the Northeast megalopolis , between Boston and New York City to the northeast , and Philadelphia , Baltimore , and Washington , D.C. , to the southwest , fueled its rapid growth through the process of suburbanization in the second half of the 20th century . At the turn of the 21st century , this suburbanization began reverting with the consolidation of New Jersey 's culturally diverse populace toward more urban settings within the state , with towns home to commuter rail stations outpacing the population growth of more automobile-oriented suburbs since 2008 .
Cleveland Keith Cleve Benedict ( born March 21 , 1935 ) is a retired Republican politician from West Virginia .
West Virginia ( /vərˈdʒɪniə/ ( listen ) ) is a state located in the Appalachian region of the Southern United States , and is also considered to be a part of the Mid-Atlantic Southeast Region . It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north , Maryland to the east and northeast , Virginia to the southeast , Kentucky to the southwest , and Ohio to the northwest . West Virginia is the 41st largest state by area , and is ranked 38th in population . The capital and largest city is Charleston . West Virginia became a state following the Wheeling Conventions of 1861 , at the start of the American Civil War . Delegates from the Unionist counties of northwestern Virginia decided to break away from Virginia , which also included secessionist counties in the new state . West Virginia was admitted to the Union on June 20 , 1863 , and was a key border state during the war . It was the only state to form by separating from a Confederate state , the first to separate from any state since Maine separated from Massachusetts , and was one of two states admitted to the Union during the American Civil War ( the other being Nevada ) . While a portion of its residents held slaves , most of the residents were yeoman farmers , and the delegates provided for gradual abolition of slavery in the new state Constitution . The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States . However , the Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies the state as a part of the Mid-Atlantic region . The northern panhandle extends adjacent to Pennsylvania and Ohio , with the West Virginia cities of Wheeling and Weirton just across the border from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area , while Bluefield is less than 70 miles ( 110 km ) from North Carolina .