Today in Wheeling History: June 9--Rosemary Ketchum, community organizer and advocate, is elected to Wheeling City Council’s Ward 3 seat, becoming the first openly transgender person elected to political office in West Virginia (2020).
Rosemary Ketchum was born around 1993 in East Liverpool, Ohio. Her early life was marked by challenges, including a period of homelessness after her family’s home burned down. She moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, with her parents, where she pursued higher education. Ketchum earned degrees in psychology from West Virginia Northern Community College and Wheeling Jesuit University in 2019.
A dedicated community organizer, Ketchum served as the associate director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Wheeling. She also became a member of the Wheeling Human Rights Commission and served on the board of the West Virginia American Civil Liberties Union. In 2019, she announced her candidacy for Wheeling City Council’s Ward 3 seat. On June 9, 2020, she won the non-partisan municipal election, making history as the first openly transgender person elected to political office in West Virginia.
Ketchum’s election was widely celebrated, with praise from former Houston Mayor Annise Parker and organizations like GLAAD. She was the subject of the 2020 West Virginia Public Broadcasting documentary "Rosemary". In 2024, she ran for mayor of Wheeling but was unsuccessful. Her work continues to focus on mental health, LGBTQ+ rights, and social justice.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/mv7prphb); Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/yj3bzpch), West Virginia Watch (https://tinyurl.com/43zbfhez)
Photo caption and credit: Rosemary Ketchum (Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV)
Rosemary Ketchum was born around 1993 in East Liverpool, Ohio. Her early life was marked by challenges, including a period of homelessness after her family’s home burned down. She moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, with her parents, where she pursued higher education. Ketchum earned degrees in psychology from West Virginia Northern Community College and Wheeling Jesuit University in 2019.
A dedicated community organizer, Ketchum served as the associate director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Wheeling. She also became a member of the Wheeling Human Rights Commission and served on the board of the West Virginia American Civil Liberties Union. In 2019, she announced her candidacy for Wheeling City Council’s Ward 3 seat. On June 9, 2020, she won the non-partisan municipal election, making history as the first openly transgender person elected to political office in West Virginia.
Ketchum’s election was widely celebrated, with praise from former Houston Mayor Annise Parker and organizations like GLAAD. She was the subject of the 2020 West Virginia Public Broadcasting documentary "Rosemary". In 2024, she ran for mayor of Wheeling but was unsuccessful. Her work continues to focus on mental health, LGBTQ+ rights, and social justice.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/mv7prphb); Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/yj3bzpch), West Virginia Watch (https://tinyurl.com/43zbfhez)
Photo caption and credit: Rosemary Ketchum (Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV)
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