William G. Conley | |
---|---|
18th Governor of West Virginia | |
In office March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933 |
|
Preceded by | Howard M. Gore |
Succeeded by | H. Guy Kump |
Attorney General of West Virginia | |
In office May 9, 1908 – March 3, 1913 |
|
Preceded by | Clark W. May |
Succeeded by | Armistead Abraham Lilly |
Personal details | |
Born |
Kingwood, West Virginia |
January 8, 1866
Died | October 21, 1940 Charleston, West Virginia |
(aged 74)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Bertie Ison Martin Conley |
Profession | Politician |
Religion | Methodist |
William Gustavus Conley (January 8, 1866 – October 21, 1940) was an American politician who served as the 18th Governor of West Virginia as a Republican from 1929 to 1933.
He was born near Kingwood to Major William Conley and Mary Courtney Freeburn. He was a school teacher from 1886 to 1891. In 1892, he married Bertie Ison Martin. In 1893 he graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in law. Afterwards, he began a law practice in Parsons, West Virginia. While there he served as Tucker County prosecuting attorney, and later as the mayor of Parsons. He also founded and was the editor of the Parsons Advocate newspaper. He also served as mayor of Kingwood from 1906 to 1908.
In 1908, Governor William Dawson appointed Conley to the post of state Attorney General. After being elected to the same office in 1908, he continued in that role under Governor William Glasscock. In 1911, he argued before the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Virginia v. West Virginia, 220 U.S. 1 (1911) which involved Virginia's pre-Civil War debt and West Virginia's share of it. He was also involved in Maryland v. West Virginia, 225 U.S. 1 (1912) which involved the border between Maryland and West Virginia.