John Hunt Oley
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Union general during the Civil War,
John Hunt Oley
became one of early Huntington’s most
prominent citizens.
File photo | The Herald-Dispatch
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gen. John Hunt Oley
(1830-1888) was one of early
Huntington’s most prominent citizens. He was
born in Utica, New York. At the outset of
the Civil War, Oley served with the
7th Regiment of the New York
National Guard.
He was one of six New
Yorkers sent to Western Virginia
to drill troops following a request by Francis Pierpont,
the governor of Reorganized (Unionist) Virginia. In
the fall of 1861, Oley organized the 8th (West)
Virginia Infantry, which would later become
the 7th West Virginia Cavalry. He was
promoted to colonel in 1863 and
was made a brevet brigadier
general in 1865 in recognition
of his gallant and
meritorious
service.
After the war, Oley was
appointed internal revenue
collector for the new state of West Virginia.
In 1871, he moved from Charleston to the
fledgling community of Huntington, then
only a few months old. In Huntington,
he was employed by railroad baron
Collis P. Huntington as an agent
for his Central Land
Company.
Oley was elected recorder
and treasurer in the new city’s
first election and was instrumental in formation
of one of the city’s earliest churches,
Trinity Episcopal.
As recorder, Oley was in
charge of establishing Huntington’s
first school system. When he died as the town’s handsome
new school was nearing completion, it was decided the
school should be named in his honor. The school
served generations of students before
being closed and demolished a
number of years ago.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Note: This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on Jan. 21, 2025.
-----------------------------------------------------------
[ Back ]