West Virginia was the first home for many influential people across industries including film, sports, government, and business. While most of these people currently reside in locations outside of West Virginia, their roots in this great state have allowed them to bring a unique, deep, and strong sense of pride to all of their undertakings and successes. In their respective industries, our native West Virginians have worked hard to affect change in the world around them, and also in their home state.
Below is a list of some of the most famous West Virginians of the last 100 years, plus links to their wikipedia pages. So next time you are traveling home to WV (or visiting for the first time), you’ll have some interesting names to drop to whoever is with you!
Hal Greer, professional basketball player
Mary Lou Retton, professional gymnast
Randy Moss, professional football player
John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems
George Preston Marshall, owner and president of the Washington Redskins
Ted Cassidy, actor
Jennifer Garner, actress
Brad Paisley, country singer and songwriter
Morgan Spurlock, independent film director and screenwriter
Patrick Gass, frontiersman
Booker T. Washington, political leader, educator, and author
Harry F. Byrd, politician
Eugene Aserinsky, discovered REM sleep
