George W. Atkinson

Infobox Governor
name= George W. Atkinson


caption=
order=10^th
office= Governor of West Virginia
term_start= 1897
term_end= 1901
predecessor= William A. MacCorkle
successor= Albert B. White
birth_date= birth date|1845|6|29|mf=y
birth_place= Charleston, WV
death_date= death date and age|1925|7|4|1845|6|29|mf=y
death_place= Charleston, WV
spouse=
profession= Politician
party= Republican
religion=
footnotes=

George Wesley Atkinson (June 29, 1845 - April 4, 1925) of Ohio County was the tenth Governor of West Virginia. He also served in the in the U.S. House of Representatives and was a judge on the United States Court of Claims.

In 1870, Atkinson graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with an A.B.. He received an M.A. there in 1873, and an LL.B. from Howard University in 1874. He served as toll collector on the Kanawha River Board from 1869 to 1871 and was appointed postmaster of Charleston in 1871. He was elected to the West Virginia Legislature in 1876. He was an Internal Revenue agent from 1879 to 1881; his success at interfering with moonshiners lead to his appointment as a United States Marshall, serving until 1885. In 1888, he ran for Congress as a Republican against John O. Pendleton. The election was contested, and although Pendleton had presented his credentials and served in the seat for nearly a year, Atkinson was eventually declared the winner and seated.

Atkinson was elected Governor of West Virginia in 1896 serving until 1901 and was later appointed United States District Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him associate judge of the Court of Claims. He served from April 15, 1905, until his retirement on April 16, 1916.

Atkinson was married twice and had four children. His first marriage was in 1868 to Ellen Eagan; following her death, he married Mrs. Myra (Horner) Camden, in 1897.

Atkinson died in Charleston, West Virginia on April 4, 1925 and was buried in Spring Hill Cemetery.

References

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External links

**CongBio|A000330
* [http://www.wvculture.org/history/atkinson.html Biography of George W. Atkinson]
* [http://www.wvculture.org/history/atkinsonia.html Inaugural Address of George W. Atkinson]
* [http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/wvs/office/history.html Southern District of West Virginia history page]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7618842 George W. Atkinson] at Find-A-Grave