Today in Wheeling History: February 16 - Arch Riley, Wheeling attorney and former state senator, provides oral history interview to the John F. Kennedy Library, detailing his role supporting Kennedy's 1960 campaign in West Virginia through grassroots organizing, legal counsel, and helping bridge Catholic-Protestant relations in a state with only 5% Catholic population (1965).
Arch Wilson Riley (November 11, 1930 - December 12, 2007) was a distinguished Wheeling attorney and public servant who significantly shaped Ohio County's legal and political landscape. Born into a family of legal prominence, he was the grandson of former West Virginia Attorney General Thomas Sylvester Riley and nephew of West Virginia Supreme Court Justice James B. Riley. After attending Georgetown Preparatory School in Maryland and studying at Oklahoma University, Riley graduated from West Virginia University in 1955 with both his undergraduate degree and Doctor of Jurisprudence. In 1959, at age 28, he became the youngest person ever elected to the West Virginia Senate, where he served until 1963 as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. During Kennedy's crucial 1960 West Virginia primary campaign, Riley provided key support despite initial concerns about Kennedy's Catholic faith affecting electability. He helped organize grassroots volunteers, offered legal counsel, and provided valuable insights about West Virginia's political landscape, particularly regarding religious dynamics. Riley noted in his 1965 oral history that Kennedy's campaign transformed local politics by engaging "a completely new breed of person looking for excellence in government" and estimated that about 50% of these new politically engaged citizens remained active afterward. As Ohio County Prosecuting Attorney (1964-1968), he led "Riley's Raiders," an innovative law enforcement task force. He served as Chairman of the Ohio County Democratic Executive Committee for 10 years and helped establish the Commission on Lawyer Assistance and Intervention of the West Virginia State Bar in 1982, one of the first such programs nationally. Riley continued practicing law in Wheeling until his death in 2007.
To learn more: Kepner Funeral Homes (https://tinyurl.com/mz7fsap9), West Virginia Record (https://tinyurl.com/ywjpckck), John F. Kennedy Library (https://tinyurl.com/2p88ncj2)
Photo credits: Kepner Funeral Homes
Arch Wilson Riley (November 11, 1930 - December 12, 2007) was a distinguished Wheeling attorney and public servant who significantly shaped Ohio County's legal and political landscape. Born into a family of legal prominence, he was the grandson of former West Virginia Attorney General Thomas Sylvester Riley and nephew of West Virginia Supreme Court Justice James B. Riley. After attending Georgetown Preparatory School in Maryland and studying at Oklahoma University, Riley graduated from West Virginia University in 1955 with both his undergraduate degree and Doctor of Jurisprudence. In 1959, at age 28, he became the youngest person ever elected to the West Virginia Senate, where he served until 1963 as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. During Kennedy's crucial 1960 West Virginia primary campaign, Riley provided key support despite initial concerns about Kennedy's Catholic faith affecting electability. He helped organize grassroots volunteers, offered legal counsel, and provided valuable insights about West Virginia's political landscape, particularly regarding religious dynamics. Riley noted in his 1965 oral history that Kennedy's campaign transformed local politics by engaging "a completely new breed of person looking for excellence in government" and estimated that about 50% of these new politically engaged citizens remained active afterward. As Ohio County Prosecuting Attorney (1964-1968), he led "Riley's Raiders," an innovative law enforcement task force. He served as Chairman of the Ohio County Democratic Executive Committee for 10 years and helped establish the Commission on Lawyer Assistance and Intervention of the West Virginia State Bar in 1982, one of the first such programs nationally. Riley continued practicing law in Wheeling until his death in 2007.
To learn more: Kepner Funeral Homes (https://tinyurl.com/mz7fsap9), West Virginia Record (https://tinyurl.com/ywjpckck), John F. Kennedy Library (https://tinyurl.com/2p88ncj2)
Photo credits: Kepner Funeral Homes
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