Alfred Beckley
| Alfred E. Beckley | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
May 26, 1802 Washington, D.C. |
| Died | May 26, 1888 (aged 86) Beckley, West Virginia |
| Place of burial | Wildwood Cemetery, Beckley, West Virginia |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America Confederate States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States ArmyVirginia militia |
| Years of service | 1823 - 1836 (US Army) 1849 - 1862 (Virginia militia) |
| Rank |
First Lieutenant (US Army) Brigadier General (Virginia militia) |
| Commands held | 12th Brigade, Virginia militia |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Alfred E. Beckley (May 26, 1802 – May 26, 1888) was the founder of Beckley, West Virginia, and a Brigadier General in the Virginia militia during the American Civil War. He named the city of Beckley in honor of his father, John James Beckley, who was the first librarian of the United States Congress.
Alfred Beckley was born on May 26, 1802 in Washington, D.C., only child of John James Beckley and Maria (or Mary) Prince. In addition to being the first librarian of the United States Congress, John Beckley was also the mayor of Richmond, Virginia, and a clerk for the United States House of Representatives. John Beckley died in 1807, and the family first moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, then in 1814 to Frankfort, Kentucky. He was also a physician, Methodist preacher, and philanthropist.
In 1834-1835, after lengthy legal disputes, Beckley received the title to 56,679 acres (22,937 ha) his father had owned in western Virginia. In order to manage his inherited estates, Beckley resigned his officer's commission on October 24, 1836. About 1832, he married Amelia Neville Craig, daughter of Neville B. Craig, editor of the Pittsburgh Gazette. They had six sons and one daughter: John (b. March 26, 1833), Neville Craig (b. December 27, 1834), Henry Martin (b. November 23, 1836), William Gregory (b. July 29, 1839), Isaac Craig (b. March 3, 1841), Alfred Beckley Jr. (b. March 5, 1843), and Emma Jane (b. January 12, 1845). Amelia died seven weeks after Emma's birth. Emma died in 1848 of scarlet fever. Beckley's second wife was Jane B. Rapp, with whom he had three more children: Stuart Heber (b. August 21, 1851), Daniel Webster (b. October 28, 1853), and Maria Elizabeth (b. July 1, 1857). Beckley was also a Methodist preacher.
Alfred Beckley was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, nominated for West Point by William Henry Harrison and President James Monroe; he entered on September 25, 1819, and graduated on July 1, 1823, ninth in a graduating class of 35. This class started with 86 cadets in 1819. He was in the army for 13 years, serving the entire time as an artillery officer in Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia, and New York. He then settled in Fayette County, West Virginia (now Raleigh County, West Virginia), which was then part of Virginia, finding it a "perfect wilderness". Beckley returned to military service as a Brigadier General in the Virginia Militia from 1849‑61; serving out of loyalty to his state even though he strongly opposed its secession from the Union. In 1861, however, the Virginia Secession Commission would not confirm his nomination by Governor John Letcher for Beckley to lead the 35th Regiment of Virginia Volunteers formed by Letcher in May of that year, and not enough men volunteered, so the 35th Regiment never formed.
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