for emancipation of slaves under 21 years of age on July 4, 1863, upon their reaching 21 years of age. Previously, Willey (who had domestic slaves) had argued for compensated emancipation. That compromise secured adoption of the West Virginia statehood bill. Because of his federal position (although he drew the short term of 2 years), Willey participated only from the sidelines in West Virginia's Constitutional Convention at Wheeling. However, he did vote to remove President Andrew Johnson from the Presidency, although that impeachment failed by one vote (and his fellow Senator Van Winkle voted the other way). After Willey won and served one full term, he retired from Congress in 1871, and became a delegate to the West Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1872. However, his political career ended as Democrats regained political power in the new state. In 1872, Willey also was elected to General Conference of the Methodist Church, but declined to serve. He did serve as a delegate-at-large to the National Republican Convention in 1876, and to the Methodist General Conference of 1880. In 1882, he accepted a temporary appointment as Clerk of the County Court in Monongelia County after the incumbent died, and voters elected him to a full six-year term in 1884. Death and legacy Willey died on May 2, 1900 at 88 years of age, after the deaths of his wife and one of his daughters. He was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Morgantown. His son William became a professor at West Virginia University in Morgantown, and during his lifetime, Willey had tutored many men who became judges and leading members of the West Virginia bar. Although the Waitman T. Willey House that he built in 1839-1840 had been in a semi-rural setting, 78 lots were divided around it after his death, and the surrounding area became the Chancery Hill Addition within the industrializing city. The house still exists; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and renovated in 2012. See also List of members of the United States Congress from multiple states References Bibliography External links Waitman T. Willey in Encyclopedia Virginia biographic sketch at U.S. Congress website The West Virginia & Regional History Center at WVU has two collections of Waitman T. Willey's papers, A&M 3 and A&M 1361 1811 births 1900 deaths 1840 United States presidential electors 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century Methodists Allegheny