Kanawha was a proposed name for what later became the U.S. state of West Virginia, formed on October 24, 1861. It consisted of most of the northwestern counties of Virginia, which decided to secede from Virginia after Virginia joined the Confederate States of America on April 17, 1861 at the beginning of the American Civil War (1861–1865). The separation had been approved by the loyalist Wheeling Convention on August 20, 1861. The name of "Kanawha", based on the Kanawha River, was proposed by the convention as the name for the new state.
During the First Constitutional Convention, on December 3, 1861, Harmon Sinsel, of Taylor County, made a motion to strike the word Kanawha from the new state constitution. The discussion regarding the motion revealed concerns of possible confusion between the State of Kanawha and the County of Kanawha within the same state. Additionally, there was an expressed desire among the convention members to reflect their Virginian heritage. After much debate, the motion passed 30-14 and a new name was sought.
During the subsequent discussion, where names such as "Allegheny", "Augusta", "Columbia", "New Virginia", "Vandalia", "West Virginia" and "Western Virginia" were suggested, it was decided that roll would be called and each member of the Convention would answer their name with their preferred name for the new State. If one of the names reached a majority vote, it would be selected as the new name for the State. Upon vote, 30 of the 44 members had selected "West Virginia". Having reached a majority, the name for the new State officially became West Virginia.
About eighteen months later, West Virginia was formally admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863. West Virginia was made a state by President Abraham Lincoln on April 20, 1863 effective sixty days thereafter.
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