Upshur County, West Virginia          Biography of HON. J. C. MCWHORTER

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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. 440
Upshur

HON. J. C. MCWHORTER, who for eight years was on the
bench of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, has been a practic-
ing lawyer at Buckhannon since 1894, and on a number of
occasions has appeared as one of the influential leaders in
the larger affairs of the state. He was particularly active
in the movement which culminated in the state wide pro-
hibition act of West Virginia.

Judge McWhorter was born on a farm in Upshur County,
July 5, 1866, son of Dr. John M. and Rosetta (Marple)
McWhorter. His father was born at McWhorter in Har-
rison County, January 22, 1822, while his mother was born
in Upshur County in 1827 and died in 1869. Doctor Mc-
Whorter was reared in Harrison County, was educated for
the medical profession, and after his marriage settled on a
farm in Upshur County and conducted farming as well as
the practice of medicine. He was a life-long student, had
a large and well selected private library, and was the first
licensed preacher in the Universalist Church in West Vir-
ginia. He was a past master of his Masonic Lodge and
a democrat in politics. Doctor McWhorter had nine chil-
dren, five of whom are living: F. J. McWhorter is a re-
tired merchant at Buckhannon; L. V. McWhorter, now a
fruit grower at Yakima, Washington, is author of a book
entitled "Border Settlers of Northwestern Virginia," and
out of his friendship for the Yakima Tribe of Indians
grew another book entitled "A Crime Against the Yaki-
mas"; Flora is the wife of G. C. Lawson, of Athens, Ohio;
J. C. McWhorter is the fourth; Lena is the wife of W. I.
Jenkins, of Lost Creek, West Virginia.

Judge MeWhorter grew up on a farm in Upshur Coun-
ty, attended the free schools, also the Fairmont State Nor-
mal, and graduated in 1894 from West Virginia University,
receiving the degree of LL. B. after specializing in studies
in the university for four years. After his admission to
the bar he began practice at Buckhannon, and has handled
a very extensive civil practice during all these years. He
was nominated by the democratic party and elected judge
of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit in 1904, his term of serv-
ice being eight years, 1905-12. The circuit was then com-
posed of Upshur, Webster, Braxton and Nicholas counties.

Judge McWhorter is a director and attorney for the
Traders National Bank of Buckhannon, is a stockholder
in the Peoples Bank, a stockholder of and attorney for
the Bank of Adrian, West Virginia, and has some valuable
financial interests in real estate, coal and timber lands.
His home is at 95 Kanawha Street.

Judge McWhorter in 1912 was chairman of the Ratifica-
tion Federation, the organizing nucleus which led the fight
for state-wide prohibition. He drafted and was the author
of the state-wide prohibition act, and the amendment was
carried by over 92,000 majority. Judge McWhorter is a
member of the Masonic Lodge, and is one of the trustees
of the Presbyterian Church at Buckhannon.

On August 26, 1895, he married Miss Elizabeth Alkire,
only daughter of Washington Alkire. She is a graduate
of the Wesleyan Academy at Buckhannon. Judge and
Mrs. McWhorter had three children:  Nellie E. gradu-
ated from high school and the Beachwood School, and is
the wife of Mathew Edmiston; Donald W., who was a
high school graduate, died at Detroit in February, 1920,
at the age of twenty; and Pauline, who is a graduate of
high school, is now attending Knox School at Cooperstown,
New York.