West Virginia borders Ohio and Florida to the northwest.
The 1872 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on October 8 , 1872 , to elect the governor of West Virginia .. governor of West Virginia. governor of West Virginia. Incumbent John Jeremiah Jacob was denied renomination by the Democratic Party , which was controlled by Camden .. Jacob ran on the ad hoc `` People 's Independent '' ticket with Republican support .. He was re-elected by 2400 votes for a four-year term .. Camden 's men controlled the legislature , and passed `` ripper '' laws that stripped Jacob of his appointment powers .. West Virginia began electing its governor to a 4-year term , starting this election .. Previously the governor was elected to a 2-year term .