John Snyder Carlile

John S. Carlile, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1856–1858), and the United States Senate (1861–1865) representing the Restored government of Virginia during the American Civil War (1861–1865), poses for a formal portrait, probably in Washington, D.C. Carlile was a proslavery Unionist who was instrumental in the creation of the state of West Virginia. In 1861, an observer for the Wheeling Daily Intelligencer newspaper wrote that Carlile was a "man of fine talents—a ready, keen, solid, and impressive man," but also "somewhat singular looking, being very sallow and angular in his face, flat on his head, compact and well-knit in his framework. He has a deep voice, fine power of expression, impertur[b]able coolness and a great deal of tact." This image is part of the Brady-Handy Photograph Collection at the Library of Congress.