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KANAWHA COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA - BIOS: CHAMPE, Ira P.
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Sandy Spradling
SSpradling@AOL.com
September 26, 1999
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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and Representative
Citizens
W.S. Laidley
Richmond Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, ILL.
1911
p. 443-444
IRA P. CHAMPE, M.D., an able physician and well-to-do citizen of Charleston,
was born in Kanawha County, near this city, July 17, 1866, son of Sewell
Preston and Almeda (Eastwood) Champe. The Champes are an old Southern
family, having had many representatives who have honored the name in their
respective communities and whose influence has always been exerted for good.
Sewell P. Champe was born in that part of Virginia that is now Craig County
and was a farmer by occupation. He was a Whig in politics and sympathized
with the Union at the time of the war. His death took place September 21,
1866, a few months after the birth of his son Ira, he being then forty-seven
years old. His wife died June 30, 1901, at the age of sixty-nine. She was a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church. She was the mother of eleven
children, of whom eight are still living, all the survivors being married.
Two died in infancy. Those who grew to maturity were as follows: Elizabeth
is the wife of Rev. A. J. Compton, M. D., a Presbyterian minister, and now
resides in San Diego, Calif. George W. is a merchant residing in Montgomery,
W. Va. He married Mrs. Anna Allen, of Lexington, W. Va. William F. also
resides in Montgomery, W. Va., being now retired from active business life.
He married Anna Montgomery, of the same place. J. B., who is a retired
contractor of Montgomery, where he has also served as justice of the peace,
he married Jesse Handley, of Winfield, W. Va. Anna, now deceased, was the
wife of M. Gilchrist. Her husband, who is still living, resides in
Charleston. Ellen married a Mr. Rand and resides at Elsinore, Calif. Charles
E., a retired merchant, resides in Charleston. Emma is the wife of L. E.
McWhorter and resides in Charleston. The remaining child was Ira P.
Ira P. Champe was the youngest of tne nine children of his parents that grew
to maturity. After acquiring a good elementary schooling, he entered the
University of West Virginia, at Morgantown, where he continued his literary
education but did not graduate, leaving before the completion of-his course
in order to take up the study of medicine in the College of Physicians at
Baltimore, Md., where he graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1892. He then
took a post-graduate course at the New York Polyclinic College. He then began
the practice of his profession in the city of Charleston, W. Va, where he has
since re-mained, having met with marked success. He is a member of the county
and state medical societies. Aside from his profession, Dr. Champe is
interested in various business enterprises and is a man of large landed
possessions in the Kanawha valley, the result of his own thrift and business
acumen.
He was married in this city to Margaret Wilson Blame, a member of an old and
respected family and third cousin to the late Hon. James G. Blame, the
eminent statesman. She was born in Missouri in 1871 and acquired her
education in Charleston, W. Va. and at the Waynesboro (Virginia) Female
Seminary. She was the adopted daughter of William C. Blame, now deceased,
whose widow, Elizabeth, subsequently marrying Rev. A. J. Compton of
California, as above noted. Dr. and Mrs. Champe are the parents of three
children, as follows: Elizabeth Blame born November 21, 1894, who is now
attending the high school in the class of 1910; Ira Preston, Jr., born March
1, 1896, also a high school stu-dent; and Emily Rebecca, born May 1, 1899,
who is attending the public schools. Dr. and Mrs. Champe are affiliated with
the Presbyterian church.
Sandy Spradling
SSpradling@AOL.com
State Contact for WV GenExchange
http://www.genexchange.com/wv/index.cfm
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