Biography of Drury D. Moran DRURY D. MORAN. One of the ablest, most successful and most forceful lawyers engaged in the practice of civil law in Wyoming County is Drury D. Moran, of Mullens. Quiet, determined and industrious, and at the same time a brilliant and original speaker, he possesses a convincing directness which makes him a remarkable advocate and a strong citizen. He has likewise been prominent in public life, as well as in business, and at present is at the head of several leading enterprises of Pineville and Mullens. Mr. Moran was born on Pinnacle Creek, within five miles of the present site of Mullens, January 27, 1880, and is a son of Stephen H. and Hortense (Evans) Moran. Stephen H. Moran was born in Floyd County, Virginia, in 1855, and was seventeen years of age when he went to Raleigh County, West Virginia. When eighteen years old he went to Pin- nacle Creek, was married at that time, and settled down to a life which was devoted to agricultural pursuits and con- tracting in timber. He became an extensive landholder, had one of the best farms in his region, and was known as the most extensive farmer in the upper end of the county. He handled large lumber contracts, buying and selling timber, and cleared the right-of-way through Wyoming County for the Virginian Railroad and for the Winding Gulf branch of that line. Mr. Moran was a democrat in politics. He was a man of the strictest integrity and a faithful member of the Primitive Baptist Church, in the faith of which he died in August, 1918. He was not old enough to see serv- ice in the war between the states, but two of his brothers fought as Confederate soldiers in that struggle and met death on the battlefield. Mrs. Moran survives her husband and resides on the old home place. Their children were as follows: Eli, who is carrying on operations on the old home farm; Drury D., of this review; John, who is a mine foreman at the Alph Pocahontas Mine; Meda, the wife of Bailey Mills, a miner at Beckley; Hulda, who died at the age of thirty-six years, as the wife of Thomas Shrewsberry, of Wyoming County; Vina, the wife of Joseph Wood, a Wyoming County farmer; Martha, the wife of Wetsel An- derson, a miner; Mazy, the wife of Everett Green, an em- ploye of the Virginian Railroad; and Ida, the wife of Perry Spence, of Wyoming County. Drury D. Moran received his early education in the Wy- oming County schools, following which he taught school for three years. In 1901 he joined Company M, Twenty- ninth United States Infantry, studied and taught mathe- matics at Port Sheridan, and in 1902 was sent to the Phil- ippine Islands, where he was an instructor in mathematics. He received his honorable discharge at sea, while on his return to the United States, and on his return to West Vir- ginia became a clerk in a grocery store at Mullens, fol- lowing which he opened the first soft drink factory at this place. During the Taft administration he served as post- master at Mullens, and then commenced the study of law. He was a student at the State University from 1913 to 1916, and in February, 1916, was admitted to the bar. He has since been engaged in a constantly growing practice, mak- ing a specialty of civil eases. His business connections are prominent and important, and he is president of the Wyom- ing County Bank at Pineville, vice president of the Wyom- ing Ice and Bottling Company at Mullens, and president of the Wyoming Theatre Company at Mullens. Soon after his return from the State University, Mr. Mo- ran became chairman of the Republican County Executive Committee of Wyoming County, and in the fall of 1918 was elected to serve in the West Virginia House of Delegates, where he was chairman of the military committee and a member of the following committees: Judiciary, elections and privileges, private corporations and joint stock com- panies, roads and internal navigation, claims and griev- ances and mines and mining. In the recent election he was the nominee of his party for the Circuit judgeship, but the democratic vote in Mingo County caused his defeat. Mr. Moran is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, and he and Mrs. Moran belong to the Baptist Church. Early in the World war he was admitted to the Plattsburg Officers Training Camp, but while there was stricken with appendicitis, which incapacitated him for service. On October 7, 1905, Mr. Moran was united in marriage with Miss Mattie L. Williams, a daughter of A. B. Williams, a well-known and successful agriculturist of Wyoming County. The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 22 Submitted by Valerie F. Crook **************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. ****************************************************************