Charles Triplett O'Ferrall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Charles Triplett O'Ferrall
42nd Governor of Virginia
In office January 1, 1894 – January 1, 1898
Lieutenant	Robert Craig Kent
Preceded by	Philip W. McKinney
Succeeded by	James Hoge Tyler
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 7th district
In office May 5, 1884 – December 28, 1893
Preceded by	John Paul
Succeeded by	Smith S. Turner
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Rockingham County
In office 1872–1873 Alongside George Deneale
Personal details
Born	October 21, 1840 Berkley Springs, Virginia
Died	September 22, 1905(1905-09-22) (aged 64) Richmond, Virginia
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Washington College
Profession	Politician, Lawyer
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States
Branch/service	Confederate States Army
Years of service	1861–1865
Rank	Colonel
Battles/wars	American Civil War

Charles Triplett "Trip" O'Ferrall (born October 21, 1840 – died September 22, 1905) was an important politician from Virginia. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1883 to 1894. Later, he became the 42nd Governor of Virginia, serving from 1894 to 1898.

Early Life and Family

Charles O'Ferrall was born in a place called Brucetown, Virginia. This area is now near Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. His parents were John and Jane Laurens Green O'Ferrall.

His father was an innkeeper and had also been a member of the Virginia government. In 1851, his father became the Clerk of Court for Morgan County. Charles went to local schools as he grew up.

During the American Civil War, Charles was hurt in a battle. While he was recovering, he met Annie Hand. They got married on February 8, 1865. They had two children together. After Annie passed away, Charles married Jennie Wickliff Knight in 1881. They had four more children. Jennie lived longer than Charles.

Starting His Career

When Charles's father died suddenly in 1855, Charles was only fifteen. The local judge was impressed by him. So, the judge chose Charles to take over his father's job as Clerk of Court. This was until a new election could be held.

Charles later won the election for the same job when he was seventeen. He was supposed to serve a six-year term. However, he only worked for less than half of that time. This was because the Civil War began.

Serving in the Civil War

Even though many people in his area supported the United States, O'Ferrall chose to support Virginia. Virginia decided to leave the United States. He joined the Confederate States Army.

He started as a private in the 12th Virginia cavalry. But he was quickly offered a higher rank as a sergeant. Charles showed great bravery in several battles. He was promoted to major. He was even allowed to create his own cavalry group, the 23rd Virginia Cavalry.

By the end of the war, O'Ferrall was a colonel. He was in charge of all cavalry in the Shenandoah Valley. His group fought in the very last battle of the war in Virginia. Charles was wounded eight times during the war. One time, his injuries were so bad that he was thought to be dead.

Becoming a Lawyer and Returning to Politics

After the war, O'Ferrall went back to run his family's inn. But he didn't enjoy it and it wasn't making enough money. He decided to study law at Washington College. He finished his law degree in 1869. Then, he started his own law business in Harrisonburg.

After former Confederate soldiers were allowed to vote and hold office again, O'Ferrall quickly returned to politics. He successfully ran for the Virginia House of Delegates in 1871. However, he lost his attempt to get a seat in the U.S. Congress the next year.

In 1874, other lawmakers chose O'Ferrall to be a judge for Rockingham County. But he found the job boring. So, when his six-year term ended, he went back to being a private lawyer.

After several years, O'Ferrall decided to run for the U.S. House of Representatives again. He challenged the current representative, John Paul, in 1883. At first, it looked like O'Ferrall lost by 200 votes. But he challenged the results and eventually won the seat.

O'Ferrall was re-elected five more times. He served ten years in the House of Representatives. During this time, he was known for strongly supporting Virginia. He also supported the Democratic President, Grover Cleveland.

Becoming Governor

O'Ferrall tried twice to become the Democratic candidate for Virginia's governor, but he didn't succeed. In 1893, he made a big effort to win the nomination. With help from a powerful Democratic group, O'Ferrall easily became the candidate.

The Republican Party decided not to run a candidate in the election. So, O'Ferrall's only opponent was Populist Party candidate Edmund R. Cocke. O'Ferrall won with a large majority of the votes. People were worried about the Populist Party and Black equality at the time. This helped O'Ferrall win with the biggest majority any Virginia governor had ever received.

During the first part of his time as governor, O'Ferrall was known for taking strong actions. He wanted to keep law and order. For example, he sent armed forces to protect miners who were not striking during a miners' strike. He also sent troops to remove Coxey's "army" of protest marchers from the state.

Even though he had strong beliefs about race, O'Ferrall was quick to send troops to stop mob violence and prevent lynchings. His actions helped calm down several difficult situations. He remained a popular governor until the end of 1895.

In 1896, the Democratic Party was focused on the issue of "Free Silver" (a debate about how money should be valued). O'Ferrall had always supported the gold standard (a different way to value money). This made him disagree with his own party.

The "silver issue" led to William Jennings Bryan being chosen as the Democratic candidate for president in 1896. O'Ferrall was one of the few Virginia Democrats who supported the gold standard and did not support Bryan. This made him less popular and weakened his political support. It meant that he would not achieve much during the rest of his time as governor.

Election Results

• 1884: O'Ferrall was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He won with 56.37% of the votes. He defeated Republican Dr. Joseph B. Webb.
• 1886: O'Ferrall was re-elected. He won with 51.71% of the votes. He defeated Independent Democrat John E. Roller.
• 1888: O'Ferrall was re-elected. He won with 54.32% of the votes. He defeated Republican Roller and Populist John C. Rivercombe.
• 1890: O'Ferrall was re-elected. He won with 89.25% of the votes. He defeated Republican I.M. Underwood.
• 1892: O'Ferrall was re-elected. He won with 64% of the votes. He defeated Populist Edmund R. Cocke.

Later Life and Passing

O'Ferrall's disagreement with his party over the "silver issue" affected his last years as governor. It also led him to retire from public life. He tried to go back to being a lawyer. However, he had serious health problems, partly from the wounds he got during the Civil War. These health issues made it hard for him to work.

In 1904, he wrote a book about his life called Forty Years of Active Service. Charles O'Ferrall passed away shortly after the book was published. He died on September 22, 1905, in Richmond, Virginia. He was buried in the Hollywood Cemetery.

His official papers as governor are kept at the Library of Virginia. Other papers are held at the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary. There are also more papers at the James Madison University library.