Photograph, John Carlile, who resided in Clarksburg, served as a delegate to the Richmond Convention and was outspoken in his opposition to secession. He returned to western Virginia to rally support for the Union, served as a delegate to the First Wheeling Convention, and was selected as a United States senator for the Reorganized Government of Virginia. As a member of the Committee on Territories, he drafted the statehood bill. Carlile made dramatic changes and it became evident that he no longer supported the new state effort. He voted against statehood, ending his political career. Portrait File
