West Virginia Department of Agriculture
American Government agency
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture is a government agency of the U.S. state of West Virginia.
JurisdictionState of West Virginia
Headquarters
- 1900 Kanawha Boulevard E,
Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.[1] - 38.337875°N 81.614500°W
Agency executive
Websitewww.agriculture.wv.gov
| |
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | State of West Virginia |
| Headquarters |
|
Agency executive | |
| Website | www |
History
The Department of Agriculture was founded in 1891 as the West Virginia State Board of Agriculture. In 1911, the West Virginia Legislature created the modern department.[2]
Organization
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture is managed by the agriculture commissioner, an elected official operating independently of the governor's authority.
Kent Leonhardt has served as the commissioner of the department since January 2017.
List of Commissioners
| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Howard E. Williams | March 4, 1913[3] | March 3, 1917[3] | Republican |
| 2 | James H. Stewart | March 4, 1917[3] | March 3, 1925[3] | Republican |
| 3 | John W. Smith | March 4, 1925[3] | January 10, 1931[3] | Republican |
| 4 | Howard M. Gore | February 4, 1931[3] | March 3, 1933[3] | Republican |
| 5 | James B. McLaughlin | March 4, 1933[3] | November 20, 1955[4] | Democratic |
| 6 | John T. Johnson | December 14, 1955[4] | 1965 | Democratic |
| 7 | Gus R. Douglass | 1965[5] | 1989[5] | Democratic |
| 8 | Cleve Benedict | 1989[6] | 1993 | Republican |
| 9 | Gus R. Douglass | 1993[5] | 2013[5] | Democratic |
| 10 | Walt Helmick | 2013 | 2017 | Democratic |
| 11 | Kent Leonhardt | 2017 | Incumbent | Republican |
