HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 20

By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Armstead

and

All Members of the House of Delegates

[Introduced on March 13, 2015]

Memorializing the life and lamenting the death of the Honorable Arch Alfred Moore, Jr., husband, father, grandfather, veteran and West Virginia’s longest serving Governor.

    Whereas, Arch Alfred Moore, Jr., was born on April 16, 1923, in Glen Dale, West Virginia, into a family with GOP ties. A grandfather had been Mayor of Moundsville, while an uncle had been Minority Leader in the West Virginia House of Delegates. He attended Marshall County schools before entering the U S Army during World War II. Rising to the rank of Sergeant, Arch Moore served in the European Campaign and was seriously wounded by German machine gun fire in Germany in November 1944. He was decorated with the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Combat Infantryman’s Badge and European Theater of Operations Ribbon with three battle stars; and

    Whereas, Following his military service, Arch Moore attended and graduated from West Virginia University and West Virginia University College of Law; and

    Whereas, Arch Moore married Shelley Riley on August 11, 1949, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Arch and Shelley spent several years in Morgantown before he ran for and was elected to a seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1952; and

    Whereas, Arch Moore possessed personal charisma, strong oratory gifts, and an uncanny ability to recall names, all of which contributed to his success in the political arena; and

    Whereas, Arch Moore was elected to the United States Congress from the 1^st Congressional District of West Virginia in 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964 and 1966; and

    Whereas, Arch Moore ran for and was elected Governor of West Virginia in 1968 and was reelected in 1972. In 1984, Arch again ran for Governor and was elected to become the first Governor ever to serve three four-year terms; and

    Whereas, During Arch Moore’s first term as Governor, two developments greatly changed the role of the Office of Governor in West Virginia - the Modern Budget Amendment, which authorized the Governor to estimate revenues and propose spending, and a constitutional change allowing an incumbent Governor to seek a consecutive term. During his tenure as Governor, Arch Moore also encountered a national coal strike, a massive road building effort, multiple teacher pay raises, a prison riot, a textbook controversy, the Buffalo Creek disaster, repeated clashes with the Democratic controlled Legislature, and one of the worst floods in West Virginia history; and

    Whereas, Arch and Shelley were the proud parents of one son, Kim, and two daughters, Shelley and Lucy, all of whom survive him. He is also survived by seven grandchildren; and

    Whereas, Sadly, the Honorable Arch A. Moore, Jr., passed away on January 7, 2015; therefore, be it

    Resolved by the House of Delegates:

    That the members of the House of Delegates hereby publicly memorialize the life of the Honorable Arch A. Moore, Jr., and collectively mourn his death, while remembering that he leaves behind a legacy of success and accomplishment; that this House of Delegates proclaims that although the Honorable Arch A. Moore, Jr. has passed from this earthly life, he will continue to live in the hearts and minds of those who knew him; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a certified copy of this resolution for his children; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates also cause a certified copy of this resolution to be placed in the Division of Archives and History.