Former Rep. David B. McKinley, a West Virginia Republican who made support of the coal industry one of his highest priorities, died Friday at his home in Wheeling, W.Va. He was 79.
Born in Wheeling on March 28, 1947, McKinley was a seventh-generation West Virginian whose ancestors settled in the area in the 1760s. That heritage imbued him with a deep, personal care for the district he served for 12 years in Congress.
During his six terms in Congress, from 2011 to 2023, McKinley fought hard for the coal industry and its miners. The industry had long been key to his home state’s economy but had been on the downturn before he entered the national political arena because of competition from natural gas and renewable energy sources. He worked to provide funding for retired miners and resisted environmental regulations he saw as harmful to the industry.
