Rosemary Ketchum
| |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wheeling City Council for Ward 3 | |
| Assumed office July 1, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Melinda Koslik |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1993 or 1994 (age 30–31) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | West Virginia Northern Community College Wheeling Jesuit University |
| Website | rosemaryketchum.com |
| |
Rosemary Ketchum (born c. 1993) is an American politician and community organizer serving as a city councillor for Ward 3 of Wheeling, West Virginia since 2020. She is the first transgender person elected to political office in West Virginia.
Ketchum was born c. 1993 and raised in East Liverpool, Ohio.[1][2] Her mother worked as a waitress and bartender and her father worked at a porcelain factory.[2] As a child, Ketchum's family was homeless after their home burned down.[3] She moved to West Virginia with her parents.[4] She earned degrees in psychology from West Virginia Northern Community College and Wheeling Jesuit University in 2019.[4]
Ketchum worked was a community organizer, serving as the associate director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Wheeling in Wheeling, West Virginia.[3][1] She is a member of the Wheeling human rights commission and served on the board of the West Virginia American Civil Liberties Union.[1]
On July 12, 2019, Ketchum announced that she would seek election to the Wheeling city council from Ward 3.[5] On June 9, 2020, she won the non-partisan municipal election against Peggy Niebergall, Jerome Henry, and Erick Marple, becoming the first transgender person elected to political office in West Virginia.[6][7][8] Following her victory she was praised by Annise Parker, the former Mayor of Houston, Texas, and congratulated by GLAAD.[9] Ketchum is the subject of the 2020 West Virginia Public Broadcasting documentary Rosemary.[10] She was a candidate for mayor of Wheeling in the 2024 election, coming in second against Denny Magruder.[11][12]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosemary Ketchum | 287 | 39.26% | |
| Peggy Niebergall | 272 | 37.21% | |
| Jermone Henry | 137 | 18.74% | |
| Erik Marple | 35 | 4.79% | |
| Total votes | 731 | 100.0% | |
