History

Notable Alumni

Howard Sutherland

Howard Sutherland (1865-1950): A representative and a senator from West Virginia, Sutherland graduated from Westminster College, Fulton, MO, in 1889 and edited a daily and weekly newspaper in Fulton. In 1890, he moved to Washington, D.C., and was employed by the Census Office while studying law at Columbian (now George Washington) University, Washington, D.C. Following his 1893 move to Elkins, WV, he worked in the coal, railroad, and timber industries. Sutherland was elected to the West Virginia State Senate, serving from 1908 to 1912; the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1912 to 1917; and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1916 and served until 1923. As a U.S. Senator, Sutherland served as the chairman of the Committee on the Census (1919-1921).

Following his unsuccessful relection bid in 1922, Sutherland resumed his former business activities in Elkins, WV, serving as vice president of the West Virginia Board of Trade; chairman of the West Virginia Good Roads Commission; and member of the board of trustees of Davis and Elkins Presbyterian College.

President Calvin Coolidge appointed Sutherland as Alien Property Custodian from 1925 to 1933, after which he resigned and retired from public life. He resided in Washington, D.C., until his death on March 12, 1950.