VIRGINIA
Here is more information about the Virginia House of Delegates (1776-2022), which was previously known as the House of Burgesses (1619-1776). This is only ONE of the legislative bodies in Virginia. The other one is the Senate of Virginia, which was called the Governor’s Council or the Council of State prior to 1776.
Here is a database of all the burgesses/delegates who served since 1619. You can look up all the members and find familiar names like Alderson, Clendenin, and Boone. I have not yet found a similar database for the Senate of Virginia or Governor’s Council, but it’s probably right under my nose. When I find it, I’ll update this.
WEST VIRGINIA
The West Virginia Legislature consists of the Senate (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house). I could not find a list of all the PAST members of the Senate, but I did find a list of the Presidents of the West Virginia Senate, beginning in 1863. Here is a current WV Senate Roster. Additionally, here is a list of the past and present members of the WV House of Representatives. However, I don’t believe the list in Wikipedia is complete because my great-grandfather (G.E.W. Wood) was a delegate in 1904, and I don’t see his name. He did appear on a list for Fayette County that was published in 1911 in the Fayette Tribune. (See below)
If I find a better list, I will add it to this paragraph. Another list of the present or most recent representatives is here.
Fayette County legislators, up to 1910
I always like to see how engaged my ancestors were in politics or current events. One way to find out is to peruse lists such as those already mentioned. Of course, you can probably find mention of them in county histories or obituaries. The obituary of my great-grandfather, George Everett Walter Wood (1860-1922), appeared in the Fayette Tribune in December 1922 and was written by Ross Cavendish. Here are a few quotes from that lengthy obituary:
"He was a contractor for many years, building railroad grade and public roads. He was head of the Lookout Construction Company, which had several large contracts in this and Nicholas counties. He took an active part in politics and was a member of the legislature from this County some 16 years ago."
"Whether in the halls of the state legislature or at meetings of his fellow citizens looking to the betterment of local conditions, the able counsel of G. E. W. Wood was always sought and freely given."
"Let the following epitaph be chiseled deep on the white slab at the head of the mound in which rest his mortal remains: Here lies a man whose chief aim in life was the public good."
All of the Fayette County officials are listed in Chapter XXX, pp. 741 and following, of History of West Virginia, by Peters and Carden. I have not looked for this information in other county histories, but most of those books are probably available at www.familysearch.org or archive.org
Sometimes I fantasize about running for public office, but I have never liked the idea of being under so much public scrutiny. Those who do run for public office deserve our thanks because they and their families do make sacrifices. However, in my opinion, it is better for the nation or the state to have term limits in order to minimize the temptation to get involved in corruption and abuses of power. If we do that, maybe we will have more people whose “chief aim in life [is] the public good.”