Early Life
Born near Morgantown (and kin to its founder Zackquill Morgan), Pierpont grew up in western Virginia, in what is today Marion County, West Virginia; he was linked with the region's history for the rest of his life. He graduated from Allegheny College, and taught school in Virginia and Mississippi while also studying law.
He was admitted to the bar in 1841, and became the local attorney for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1848. Prior to entering politics, he also helped found Fairmont Male and Female Seminary, the forerunner to Fairmont State University.
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