History of Boydville, (Berkeley County) West Virginia United States of America

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Charles James Faulkner, senator, was born in Boydville, Berkeley county. Va., Sept. 21, 1847; son of Charles James and Mary Wagner (Boyd) Faulkner; and grandson of Maj. James Faulkner and of Gen. Elisha Boyd. He went abroad with his father in 1859 and studied in Paris and Switzerland. Returning to the United States in 1861 he went south after the arrest of his father by the U.S. authorities, entered the Virginia military institute in 1862 and served with the cadets in the Confederate army at the battle of New Market. He afterward served as an aide on the staffs of Gens. John C. Breckinridge and Henry A. Wise. After the war he studied under his father at Boydville and was graduated in law from the University of Virginia in 1868. The same year he was admitted to the West Virginia bar and began the practice of his profession at Martinsburg. He was judge of the 13th judicial district, 1880-87, and was elected to a seat in the U.S. senate to succeed Johnson N. Camden, serving, 1887-93. He was re-elected in 1893 for the term expiring March 3, 1899. He was permanent chairman of the Democratic state convention of 1888, chairman of the state convention of 1892, and chairman of the Democratic congressional campaign committees of 1894 and 1896. He was married, Nov. 25, 1869, to Sallie, daughter of John Winn of Charlotteville, Va., and they had five children. Mrs. Faulkner died in Washington, D.C., March 31, 1891, and on Jan. 3, 1894, he was married to Virginia Fairfax, daughter of H. C. Whiting of Hampton, Va. He was a member of the committees on appropriations, District of Columbia, immigration, Indian depredations, privileges and elections and on the select committee on Potomac river front in the 55th congress. In September, 1898, he was appointed by President McKinley a member of the Canadian commission in place of Senator Gray, transferred to the Paris peace commission.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Boydville, (Berkeley County) West Virginia

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