Lewis County, West Virginia         Biography of HON. WILLIAM W. BRANNON

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The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 416
Lewis

HON. WILLIAM W. BRANNON, a representative member of
the bar of Lewis County, has been engaged in the active
practice of his profession at Weston, the county seat, for
more than forty years. He was born at Winchester, Vir-
ginia, November 1, 1853, a son of Seward J. and Mary
(Carper) Brannon, both likewise natives of that locality,
the father having been born in 1823, at Winchester, and
his death having occurred in 1859.  Seward J. Brannon
became one of the prosperous farmers near Winchester,
and there remained until his death, his widow having sur-
vived him a score of years and her death having occurred
in 1887.   Both were zealous members of the Baptist
Church. Of the eight children only two are now living -
William W., of this review, and John Robert, a farmer
near Middletown, Virginia.

William W. Brannon was reared on the home farm and
gained his early education in subscription schools. On the
7th of February, 1872, he came to Weston, West Virginia,
and found employment in a brick yard, at a wage of $1.50
a day. He was thus engaged about three years, and in
the meanwhile his ambition led him to take up the study
of law, under the preceptorship of his uncles, who were at
that time prominent members of the local bar. He made
rapid advancement in his technical studies and was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1879. He opened an office and con-
tinued in individual practice two years, since which time
he has had various associates in his large and representative
law business. He has served as special judge, as notary
public and as city attorney. In 1886 he was elected mayor
of Weston, and was reelected for the four succeeding
terms, and upon the expiration of his term, in 1890, he
was elected representative of the Fourth District - Lewis
and Webster counties - in the State Legislature. He gave
his full term of characteristically effective service and did
not appear as a candidate for re-election. While in the
Legislature he was a member of five important committees
of the House of Representatives. In 1899 Mr. Brannon
was appointed by Governor Atkinson attorney for the
State Board of Pardons, on which he served five years,
during a portion of which time he was president of the
board. He was later appointed by the governor of West
Virginia a commissioner on uniform state laws, and al-
though he resigned this place he has never been formally
released. He is a stalwart in the camp of the democratic
party, has taken lively interest in all that concerns the
civic and material welfare of his home city, county and
state, and has long controlled a large and important law
business, which has involved his appearance in many litiga-
tions of major order. Mr. Brannon owns an interest in
2,000 acres of land in Webster County and is interested
also in oil and gas production in this section of the state.
He is past chancellor of the local lodge of Knights of
Pythias, has been a delegate to the Grand Lodge of the
order in the state, and has served as a deputy grand chan-
cellor besides having been a member of the Grand Tribu-
nal of the fraternity. His wife is a communicant of the
Protestant Episcopal Church.

Mr. Brannon is now senior member of the leading law
firm of Brannon, Stathers & Stathers, with offices both at
Weston and Clarksburg. In 1904 he was elected president
of the West Virginia Bar Association for one year, and
he is likewise a member of the American Bar Association
and of the World's Congress of Jurists and Lawyers.

Mr. Brannon wedded, on the 14th of February, 1884,
Miss Addie Alkire, of Hackers Creek, Lewis County, and
they have two daughters: Bertie is the wife of John R.
Davis, a lumberman; and Miss Hattie remains at the par-
ental home.