Today in Wheeling History: June 30--Sherrard Clemens, prominent Wheeling-born politician, lawyer, U.S. Representative (1852-1853, 1857-1861), Virginia Convention delegate who opposed secession, critic of Abraham Lincoln, duelist, and cousin of Mark Twain, died in St. Louis, Missouri (1881).
Sherrard Clemens was a prominent 19th-century politician and lawyer from Virginia (now West Virginia) and Missouri. Born on April 28, 1820, in Wheeling, he studied law at Washington College in Pennsylvania and was admitted to the bar in 1843. Clemens served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1852 to 1853 and again from 1857 to 1861. He was a delegate to the Virginia Convention of 1861, where he voted against secession despite being a Democrat. During the Civil War, he opposed West Virginia statehood. Clemens was known for his critical views of Abraham Lincoln and once fought a duel with O. Jennings Wise, son of Virginia Governor Henry A. Wise, resulting in a severe injury to Clemens' right testicle. After the war, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he continued practicing law until his death on June 30, 1881. Clemens was a cousin of author Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) and has an unincorporated community in Marshall County, West Virginia, named after him - Sherrard.
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Photo credits: Library of Congress, The Historical Marker Database, Find a Grave
Sherrard Clemens was a prominent 19th-century politician and lawyer from Virginia (now West Virginia) and Missouri. Born on April 28, 1820, in Wheeling, he studied law at Washington College in Pennsylvania and was admitted to the bar in 1843. Clemens served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1852 to 1853 and again from 1857 to 1861. He was a delegate to the Virginia Convention of 1861, where he voted against secession despite being a Democrat. During the Civil War, he opposed West Virginia statehood. Clemens was known for his critical views of Abraham Lincoln and once fought a duel with O. Jennings Wise, son of Virginia Governor Henry A. Wise, resulting in a severe injury to Clemens' right testicle. After the war, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he continued practicing law until his death on June 30, 1881. Clemens was a cousin of author Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) and has an unincorporated community in Marshall County, West Virginia, named after him - Sherrard.
To learn more: (http://tiny.cc/oaivyz) (http://tiny.cc/raivyz) (http://tiny.cc/saivyz) (http://tiny.cc/vaivyz) (http://tiny.cc/vaivyz) (http://tiny.cc/gbivyz)
Photo credits: Library of Congress, The Historical Marker Database, Find a Grave
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