Don Chafin
| Don Chafin | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
June 26, 1887 Kermit, West Virginia |
| Died | 9 August 1954 (aged 67) Huntington, West Virginia |
| Known for | Sheriff of Logan County, West Virginia 1912–1924 Commander in the Battle of Blair Mountain |
Don Chafin (June 26, 1887 – August 9, 1954) was the sheriff of Logan County, West Virginia and a commander in the Battle of Blair Mountain. As sheriff of Logan County, Chafin was a fierce opponent of unionization and received hundreds of thousands of dollars from coal mine operators in return for his violent suppression of the United Mine Workers union.
Chafin's most notable anti-union measures came during the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, when he organized an effort to prevent armed miners from crossing through Logan County. He assembled a force of thousands of local townspeople, sheriff's deputies, and national guardsmen. His forces successfully prevented the advance of the miners until federal troops intervened and forced the latter to disperse. As a result of his actions, Chafin became a hero of the mine operators and an enemy of the miners.
In 1924, Chafin was arrested in connection with moonshining and sentenced to two years in prison. After his release, he became an important figure in the Democratic Party of West Virginia, and a lobbyist for the coal industry. In 1936, he moved to Huntington, West Virginia, where he was a wealthy and well-known figure until his death in 1954.
Chafin was born on June 26, 1887, near the town of Kermit in present-day Mingo County, West Virginia, the sixth of eleven children. His father, Francis Marion Chafin, was the sheriff of Logan County, and Chafin grew up in the town of Logan. (He was related to the Hatfield family of West Virginia—his great aunt Levisa "Levicy" Chafin was the wife of Anderson Hatfield). For two years he studied in the preparatory department of Marshall College – without taking college courses – but did not graduate. He also attended the Mountain State Business College, before teaching at the Dingress School in Mingo County.
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