EditorÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Note: This is the 586th in a series of articles recalling vintage Huntington people and places.
Gen. John Hunt Oley (1830-1888) was one of early HuntingtonÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™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 cityÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s first election and was instrumental in formation of one of the cityÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s earliest churches, Trinity Episcopal.
As recorder, Oley was in charge of establishing HuntingtonÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s first school system. When he died as the townÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™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.
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