Born and raised in Harrison County, and a proud graduate of the West Virginia University College of Law, Bill Flanigan embodies the spirit of West Virginia. A lifelong outdoorsman, he was greatly influenced by his parents and grandparents and grew up learning the core values that make West Virginia someplace truly special: honesty, hard work, and a deep love for the land and its people.

Bill’s father was a union carpenter and his mother served for many years as a secretary. He spent summers in the country bailing hay and working as a laborer. Today, he serves as a lawyer in private practice, and lives in Wheeling with his wife, Dr. Melissa Flanigan, DO, an immigrant from the Philippines, and two of their three children. Sophia is a student at The Linsly School and Liam attends Wheeling Country Day School. Their oldest child, Bella, represented the Philippines women’s national soccer team in the FIFA Women’s World Cup and is currently playing soccer in Spain.

Both of Bill’s grandfathers served their country overseas in World War II. His maternal grandmother was a court reporter by training and served as a magistrate in Harrison County. She often told Bill to stay out of politics because he was “way too honest” to ever fit in.

But the call to serve his state and community won out over grandmotherly advice, and In 2016, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin appointed Bill to fill a vacancy in the West Virginia House of Delegates as a Republican.

During his time in the Legislature, Bill fought for better funding for our State Troopers and spoke up for allowing the use of medicinal cannabis without penalty for people suffering from Cancer and other illnesses. The Wheeling News-Register called him “courageous” and said, “he deserves much credit for refusing to take the easy way out of a controversial issue.”

While others may call Bill “courageous,” he would simply say that he always fights for what’s right – no matter the cost. And he’ll continue to fight for us in Charleston as our delegate.