Eight US Presidents were born in Virginia, "Mother of Presidents". You
already got Washington, Jefferson, Monroe & Wilson, and someone else helpfully added
Madison and Tyler. Add two more: President Zachary Taylor was also born in
Virginia, as was President William Henry Harrison.

As for presidents from Virginia, the VERY first president -- of the
Continental Congress was Virginian Peyton Randolph.

Also from the Revolutionary War era,  I'd suggest adding General "Light Horse
Harry" Lee, George Washington's cavalry commander and father of Robert E
Lee, General Daniel Morgan, and the Virginia Signers of the Declaration of
Independence --- George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin
Harrison,  Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton and especially Thomas Nelson, whose
sacrifices on behalf the fledgling republic were considerable. Also add Jack
Jouett - why should Paul Revere get all the fame when a little-known Virginian
performed a similar feat?

In Pre-Revolutionary times, also add not only John Rolfe, husband of
Poconhontas / Matoaka, but also her father the mighty Powhatan and her uncle
Opecanough, who rates a mention for nearly wiping us out! Had an ancestor of mine not
survived the Henricus Massacre as a baby, I would be typing this now!  Also,
add Nathaniel Bacon of Bacon's rebellion fame, Robert "King" Carter, William
Byrd of Westover (founding Richmond deserves a mention), and Thomas, Lord Fairfax
and Governor Alexander Spottswood of "Knights of the Golden Horseshoe" fame.

Virginia produced many famous statesmen and politicians in the days of the
early Republic. One of my favorites was John Randolph of Roanoke, whose home was
aptly named "Bizarre".  And let's not forget that the great Henry Clay was
born in Hanover County.

Some other famous figures of the early 19th century -- Mrs. Mary Randolph,
author of the Virginia Housewife, one of the first published cookbooks, was a
Virginian and cousin of Thomas Jefferson. Supposedly, when Gabriel Prosser began
his slave revolt  with the intention of massacring the white population of
Chesterfield County and surrounding areas, he'd said that Mrs. Randolph would be
spared so she could  be his queen.  (yet again proof that the way to a man's
heart is through his stomach!)
And while we're on the subject of slave revolts, let's not forget Nat Turner!

The Civil War produced a wealth of famous Virginians. Here are a couple more
to add in addition to the obvious pantheon of Lee, Jackson and Stuart:
Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury, commander of the CS Navy whose mapping of ocean
currents earned him the nickname "pathfinder of the seas", Gen William Mahone
(became Governor of Virginia after the War & a Senator), "Extra Billy" Smith and
Gen. Henry Wise (were governor before the War), Gen. Eppa Hunton (Senator
after the War). For sheer audacity and genius, I'd add a Colonel to the mix as
well, John Singleton Mosby.

There were plenty of prominent Union military figures who were Virginians
too, starting with the first wartime commander of the Union Army,  "Old Fuss and
Feather" Winfield Scott, plus Gen. George Thomas, Leesburg native Gen Philip
St George Cooke, author of Cooke's Cavalry Manual and father in law of JEB
Stuart, and the Virginia-born US Colored Troops recipients of the Congressional
Medal of Honor: Powhatan Beaty, James Gardiner, James Miles, Edward Ratcliffe,
Charles Veal -- and most of all Norfolk-born William H. Carney, color bearer of
the 54th Massachussetts in the seige of Ft. Wagner.

We can't claim Abraham Lincoln, but we CAN claim his father, born in Augusta
County.

Inventor & industrialist Cyrus McCormick, inventor of the McCormick reaper
and founder of the company that eventually became International Harvester was a
Virginian, as was artist George Caleb Bingham and sculptors Edward Valentine
and Sir Moses Ezekiel.  Edmund Ruffin, agriculturalist and rabid secessionist,
who claimed to have fired the first shot of the Civil War at Ft. Sumpter and
whose suicide in 1865 has been called by some the last shot of the War, is
generally credited with being the father of public education in the Commonwealth.

Then there are the historians and authors: Douglas Southall Freeman,
Virginius Dabney, Ellen Glasgow, popular 19th century artist and commentator David
"Porte Crayon" Strother (ok, Berkeley Springs is in West Virginia now, but it was
in Virginia then), Willa Cather, James Branch Cabell, William Cabell Bruce,
John Esten Cooke, Thomas Nelson Page, Tom Wolfe, former Poet Laureat Rita Dove,
popular novelist Patricia Cornwell, veteran syndicated columnists James J.
Kilpatrick and Russell Baker,  "The Waltons" creator Earl Hamner Jr, and many,
many others. We usually get at least partial credit for Edgar Allen Poe, too.

In the 20th century, as well as Harry F. Byrd Sr, I'd add polar explorer
Richard Evelyn Byrd to the list, along with Army medical giant Walter Reed. I
think we should at least get partial credit for General George C Patton too -- he
was culturally a Virginian -- his family moved to California after the Civil
War in which both his grandfather and great uncle were killed, and he went to
VMI.

The fellow who played Patton on screen - George C. Scott, was a Virginian
too. Also in the entertainment world, add to the Ella Fitzgerald, Pearl Bailey,
actors Joseph Cotten, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Shirley McLaine and her
brother Warren Beatty -- and I'd suggest partial points for Robert Duvall as his
father was a Virginian and he's got a place in Loudoun. On the country and blue
grass side of things, there's the Carter Family -- absolutely seminal in the
development of country music in the early days, plus the Stanley Brothers,
country singer Roy Clark, the Statler Brothers and the legendary Patsy Cline.  Las
Vegas crooner Wayne Newton is a Virginian too - he was born in Roanoke.

In the field of sports, add to tennis legend Arthur Ashe, golfing great Sam
Snead and current basketball star Alonzo Mourning. Among others.

In the politics & public affairs field, Lady Astor, the first woman to serve
in the British Parliament was a Virginian, born Nancy Langhorne in Lynchburg.
Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell was a Virginian. Not as well known
nowadays but a very influential figure in his day was Senator Carter Glass, who
served as Secretary of the Treasury and basically wrote the Democratic platform on
which FDR was first elected. I'd also add Senator Thomas Martin, who was an
extremely pivotal figure in Virginia politics in his age and Rep. John Mercer
Langston, Virginia first black Member of Congress during the reconstruction era.
Maybe retiring one-term Delegate Winsome Sears should get a mention too - the
first black Republican woman elected to the Virginia General Assembly and the
first black Republican elected since Reconstruction.

There are MANY, many more -- I've barely scratched the surface.

There's a section on famous Virginians on Virginia.org that has web links,
that your students might find helpful: <A HREF="http://www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?featureID=82">
http://www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?featureID=82</A>

Here's another useful site of the same genre:
<A HREF="http://www.banders.com/stateofmine/famous/famous.html">http://www.banders.com/stateofmine/famous/famous.html</A>

Good site for lists of politicians / statemen born, raised, resident or
buried in Virginia, with biographical links: <A HREF="http://politicalgraveyard.com/">http://politicalgraveyard.com/</A>

Sorry this is so long -- hope it's helpful

- Kathryn Coombs
King George VA




In a message dated 7/17/2003 10:22:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> have started a collection of Famous Virginians. Most
> >of the ones on there now were from the SOLs: Pocahontas, George Washington,
> >Thomas Jefferson, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, James Monroe, Booker T.
> >Washington, Maggie Walker, Harry F. Byrd Sr., Arthur Ashe, Jr., and L.
> >Douglas Wilder. So far I've added three more, Woodrow Wilson, Irene Morgan,
> >and Joseph Jenkins Roberts.
> >
> >Any suggestions on who else would be of interest to Virginia and other
> >students?
> >
> >             Anne
> >
> >
>
> How famous is famous?
>
> Some others that have VA Connections I haven't seen yet.
>
> Sam Houston
> Stephen Austin - Fathers of Texas, both Virginia natives
> J.E.B. Stuart - C.S. General
> Joseph E. Johnston - C. S. General
> John B. Floyd - Governor, Cabinet Secretary, C.S. General
> James Madison - President of the U.S.
> John Tyler - President of the U.S.
> George Mason - Statesman
> Patrick Henry - Governor Revolutionary War Figure
> John Smith to go along with Pocahontas
> Samuel Rolfe to go along with Pocahontas




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