Carrie Watson Fleming

Who was Carrie Watson Fleming?

Carrie Watson Fleming was the wife of former Governor of West Virginia Aretas B. Fleming and served as that state's First Lady, 1890-1893. She was born April 29, 1844, at Fairmont, West Virginia, a daughter of coal pioneer James Otis Watson. She attended Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy at Wheeling, West Virginia. In 1865, she married Aretas B. Fleming. After a shortened three year term as first lady, due to the controversial 1888 election, the Flemings returned to Fairmont, where she played a prominent role in Fairmont's cultural, civic, and religious activities. She died at Fairmont on July 19, 1931.