Junius Edgar West
Encyclopedia
Junius Edgar West was a Virginia
politician
and businessman who was born in Sussex County, Virginia
, on July 12, 1866, and whose long and distinguished career culminated in two terms as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
.
Junius West was the fifth son of Henry Thomas West and Susan Cox West. He was educated in public and private school
s in Sussex County and matriculated in the college preparatory course at the Suffolk Collegiate Institute in Suffolk, Virginia
. He attended college at the University of North Carolina
and studied law
at both Washington
and Lee University
and the University of Virginia
.
Upon completion of his formal education he returned to Waverly, Virginia
and became Superintendent of Sussex County Schools in 1889. As superintendent, Mr. West suggested innovations that would improve the system in Sussex; a nine-month school term, better qualified teacher
s with increased pay, better schoolhouse
s and furniture, and a reasonable compensation to trustees for their services.
While residing in Waverly Mr. West formed an insurance
business with a brother, John West. Two years later he decided to seek greater opportunities in the insurance field in Suffolk, VA, where he joined the firm of Col. L. P. Harper. Mr. West soon became the junior partner in the firm of Harper and West. Upon the death of Col. Harper in 1906 the firm became West and Withers with Mr. J. T. Withers as junior partner.
On January 17, 1903, Junius West married Margaret Olive Beale, a daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Edwin W. Beale of Suffolk. Soon after their marriage they purchased the residence then located at the east corner of West Washington Street and St. James Avenue where they lived for the remainder of his life. The Wests had one child, a daughter, Margaret Beale, who was born in 1909.
Mr. West devoted much of his life to public service. He became active in local politics and was elected to Suffolk City Council and served as President of that body in 1896. Claude A. Swanson
, who served as Governor of Virginia from 1906 to 1910, named Mr. West to his staff and bestowed upon him the title of Colonel by which he was known for the remainder of his life.
In 1910 Col. West was elected to the House of Delegates
and in 1912 to the Virginia State Senate, where he served for ten years. Col. West became a leader in the Democratic Party
at the state level. During his career Col. West served on the Democratic State Central Committee and its Executive Committee as well as on several local Democratic Executive Committees. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
in 1896 and in 1936.
In 1922 and again in 1926 Col. West was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, serving during the terms of Governors E. Lee Trinkle and Harry Flood Byrd. During Col. West’s first term in office, Governor Trinkle appointed Col. West’s brother, Judge Jesse F. West
of Sussex County, to a seat on the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. At his second inaugural ceremony in 1926, Judge West administered the oath of office to his brother, Col. West.
During the years in which Col. West served as Lieutenant Governor, Richard L. Brewer, Jr. of Suffolk served as Speaker of the House of Delegates (from 1920 to 1926) and a third Suffolk citizen, Robert Riddick Prentis
, served as Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court of Appeals (from 1925 to 1931). It has been said that "[t] he spotlight that played simultaneously on these three men during an important transition period in the state's history made Suffolk, for a time, a kind of "little capital" of Virginia and conferred upon [the three men]…the unofficial title of "Suffolk's Big Three".
Col.West was always active in civic affairs. In the early 20th Century Col.West was, for a time, an owner and publisher of the Suffolk Herald, a forerunner of the Suffolk News Herald. He was a Charter Member of the Suffolk Rotary Club and served as its President in 1924. Col.West served as a director of the Retail Merchants Association and as a director and president of the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce. He was also on the Board of Directors of the State Chamber of Commerce. Col. West was a Mason
, serving as the Master of Lodge 30 in Suffolk in 1901. He was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution
, a Shriner, a Knight Templar, a Pythian, an Elk, an Odd Fellow, a member of the Junior Order of American Mechanics, a member of the Laurel Country Club of Suffolk and of the Westmoreland Club of Richmond. Too old to enter military service in World War I
, he served as the Chairman of the United War Work Campaign in Suffolk and Nansemond County
.
Col.West was a very active layman
in the Suffolk Christian Church, chairing many committees, and serving on the Board of Deacons and the Board of Trustees. During the 1890s he organized a Sunday School Class which became the Philathea Class in 1913 and which he taught until his death in 1947. On April 17, l950, the Young Ladies Bible Class and Senior Philathea Class became one and that class was renamed "The West Memorial Bible Class". On Sunday, September 17, 1950, a memorial service
was held in the classroom at which time a portrait of Col. West was presented to the class.
Col.West was Chairman of the Mission Board of the Southern Convention of the Christian Church and served on the Board of Trustees of Elon College for nearly half a century. His interest in education also lead to his appointment to the Board of Trustees of what is now Longwood College.
In recognition of his achievements Col. West was selected for inclusion in a number of editions of Who's Who in America. Upon his retirement from political service in Richmond
in 1930, the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot wrote: "Those who will miss him most are his associates in the Senate, men who day by day have been impressed with his fairness as a presiding officer, his uniform courtesy and his innate kindliness". On January 27, 1932, in the State Senate Chamber in Richmond, Col. West was honored with a formal dedication of his portrait. Senator E. E. Holland, of Suffolk, made the formal presentation citing the high esteem in which Col. West was held in Suffolk: "I can attest that in Suffolk he is considered a model citizen and is a leader in all religious, civic, social and political activities. He has been eminently successful, progressive yet conservative, and is always alert and ready to strive for the best interests of Virginia and her citizens". The portrait hangs in the Virginia State Capitol
to this day.
Col. West died on January 1, 1947, in a Richmond hospital where he was being treated for cancer
. Louis Jaffe
, the Pulitzer Prize
Winning Editor of the Norfolk Virginian Pilot described Col. West and a "conspicuous member of the General Assembly [who]…in many ways as an almost ideal legislator…. No inconsiderable part of the most valuable legislation of that transitional period of Virginia history bore his name."
Col. West drew the praise of several who had served as Governor of the Commonwealth. Harry Byrd described him as "an indefatigable worker…[who] had a grasp of public matters such as few men of my acquaintance possessed…. [I]t can be very truthfully said of him that his labors in the public service of Virginia was outstanding". Colgate Darden
wrote that Col. West "has participated in every phase of civic life looking to the betterment of the State…and through his efforts…the people of Virginia have been enriched and encouraged". William M. Tuck
described Col. West "as one of Virginia's leading citizens" who "as a citizen and as an official…contributed much that is of value to the life of our Commonwealth."
Col. West was buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Suffolk on January 3, 1947.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and businessman who was born in Sussex County, Virginia
Sussex County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,504 people, 4,126 households, and 2,809 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 4,653 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
, on July 12, 1866, and whose long and distinguished career culminated in two terms as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
The Lieutenant Governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Lieutenant Governor is elected every four years along with the Governor and Attorney General. The office is currently held by Republican William T. Bolling. The governor and lieutenant governor are elected...
.
Junius West was the fifth son of Henry Thomas West and Susan Cox West. He was educated in public and private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
s in Sussex County and matriculated in the college preparatory course at the Suffolk Collegiate Institute in Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:...
. He attended college at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
and studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at both Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
and Lee University
Lee University
Lee University is an American accredited, private, four-year liberal arts college located in Cleveland, Tennessee, United States. It is historically affiliated with the Church of God, a Pentecostal denomination, and was the denomination's Bible Training School from 1918 until 1947, when the name...
and the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
.
Upon completion of his formal education he returned to Waverly, Virginia
Waverly, Virginia
Waverly is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,309 at the 2000 census.-History:Popular legend has it that William Mahone , builder of the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad , and his cultured wife, Otelia Butler Mahone , traveled along the newly...
and became Superintendent of Sussex County Schools in 1889. As superintendent, Mr. West suggested innovations that would improve the system in Sussex; a nine-month school term, better qualified teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s with increased pay, better schoolhouse
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s and furniture, and a reasonable compensation to trustees for their services.
While residing in Waverly Mr. West formed an insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
business with a brother, John West. Two years later he decided to seek greater opportunities in the insurance field in Suffolk, VA, where he joined the firm of Col. L. P. Harper. Mr. West soon became the junior partner in the firm of Harper and West. Upon the death of Col. Harper in 1906 the firm became West and Withers with Mr. J. T. Withers as junior partner.
On January 17, 1903, Junius West married Margaret Olive Beale, a daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Edwin W. Beale of Suffolk. Soon after their marriage they purchased the residence then located at the east corner of West Washington Street and St. James Avenue where they lived for the remainder of his life. The Wests had one child, a daughter, Margaret Beale, who was born in 1909.
Mr. West devoted much of his life to public service. He became active in local politics and was elected to Suffolk City Council and served as President of that body in 1896. Claude A. Swanson
Claude A. Swanson
Claude Augustus Swanson was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician from Virginia.He served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1893 until 1906, was the 45th Governor of Virginia from 1906 until 1910, and represented Virginia as a United States Senator from 1910 until...
, who served as Governor of Virginia from 1906 to 1910, named Mr. West to his staff and bestowed upon him the title of Colonel by which he was known for the remainder of his life.
In 1910 Col. West was elected to the House of Delegates
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
and in 1912 to the Virginia State Senate, where he served for ten years. Col. West became a leader in the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
at the state level. During his career Col. West served on the Democratic State Central Committee and its Executive Committee as well as on several local Democratic Executive Committees. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
in 1896 and in 1936.
In 1922 and again in 1926 Col. West was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, serving during the terms of Governors E. Lee Trinkle and Harry Flood Byrd. During Col. West’s first term in office, Governor Trinkle appointed Col. West’s brother, Judge Jesse F. West
Jesse F. West
Jesse F. West was born in Sussex County, Virginia. He was educated in public schools, the Suffolk Collegiate Institute and the University of North Carolina, where he graduated in 1885. Following his graduation there, he attended the University of Virginia and studied law under Professor John B....
of Sussex County, to a seat on the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. At his second inaugural ceremony in 1926, Judge West administered the oath of office to his brother, Col. West.
During the years in which Col. West served as Lieutenant Governor, Richard L. Brewer, Jr. of Suffolk served as Speaker of the House of Delegates (from 1920 to 1926) and a third Suffolk citizen, Robert Riddick Prentis
Robert R. Prentis
Robert R. Prentis was born at the University of Virginia where his father was proctor of the university. His education was very scant because of the death of his father while Robert was still a boy. When just a very young man, he worked for a short time in the clerk’s office in Albemarle County,...
, served as Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court of Appeals (from 1925 to 1931). It has been said that "[t] he spotlight that played simultaneously on these three men during an important transition period in the state's history made Suffolk, for a time, a kind of "little capital" of Virginia and conferred upon [the three men]…the unofficial title of "Suffolk's Big Three".
Col.West was always active in civic affairs. In the early 20th Century Col.West was, for a time, an owner and publisher of the Suffolk Herald, a forerunner of the Suffolk News Herald. He was a Charter Member of the Suffolk Rotary Club and served as its President in 1924. Col.West served as a director of the Retail Merchants Association and as a director and president of the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce. He was also on the Board of Directors of the State Chamber of Commerce. Col. West was a Mason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, serving as the Master of Lodge 30 in Suffolk in 1901. He was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution
Sons of the American Revolution
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is a Louisville, Kentucky-based fraternal organization in the United States...
, a Shriner, a Knight Templar, a Pythian, an Elk, an Odd Fellow, a member of the Junior Order of American Mechanics, a member of the Laurel Country Club of Suffolk and of the Westmoreland Club of Richmond. Too old to enter military service in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he served as the Chairman of the United War Work Campaign in Suffolk and Nansemond County
Nansemond County, Virginia
Nansemond County is an extinct county which was located in Virginia Colony and the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, from 1646 until 1972...
.
Col.West was a very active layman
Layman
A layperson or layman is a person who is not an expert in a given field of knowledge. The term originally meant a member of the laity, i.e. a non-clergymen, but over the centuries shifted in definition....
in the Suffolk Christian Church, chairing many committees, and serving on the Board of Deacons and the Board of Trustees. During the 1890s he organized a Sunday School Class which became the Philathea Class in 1913 and which he taught until his death in 1947. On April 17, l950, the Young Ladies Bible Class and Senior Philathea Class became one and that class was renamed "The West Memorial Bible Class". On Sunday, September 17, 1950, a memorial service
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
was held in the classroom at which time a portrait of Col. West was presented to the class.
Col.West was Chairman of the Mission Board of the Southern Convention of the Christian Church and served on the Board of Trustees of Elon College for nearly half a century. His interest in education also lead to his appointment to the Board of Trustees of what is now Longwood College.
In recognition of his achievements Col. West was selected for inclusion in a number of editions of Who's Who in America. Upon his retirement from political service in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
in 1930, the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot wrote: "Those who will miss him most are his associates in the Senate, men who day by day have been impressed with his fairness as a presiding officer, his uniform courtesy and his innate kindliness". On January 27, 1932, in the State Senate Chamber in Richmond, Col. West was honored with a formal dedication of his portrait. Senator E. E. Holland, of Suffolk, made the formal presentation citing the high esteem in which Col. West was held in Suffolk: "I can attest that in Suffolk he is considered a model citizen and is a leader in all religious, civic, social and political activities. He has been eminently successful, progressive yet conservative, and is always alert and ready to strive for the best interests of Virginia and her citizens". The portrait hangs in the Virginia State Capitol
Virginia State Capitol
The Virginia State Capitol is the seat of state government in the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in Richmond, the third capital of Virginia. It houses the oldest legislative body in the United States, the Virginia General Assembly...
to this day.
Col. West died on January 1, 1947, in a Richmond hospital where he was being treated for cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. Louis Jaffe
Louis Isaac Jaffe
Louis Isaac Jaffe was editorial page editor of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot from 1919 to 1950. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing in 1929 for An Unspeakable Act of Savagery, which condemned lynching....
, the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
Winning Editor of the Norfolk Virginian Pilot described Col. West and a "conspicuous member of the General Assembly [who]…in many ways as an almost ideal legislator…. No inconsiderable part of the most valuable legislation of that transitional period of Virginia history bore his name."
Col. West drew the praise of several who had served as Governor of the Commonwealth. Harry Byrd described him as "an indefatigable worker…[who] had a grasp of public matters such as few men of my acquaintance possessed…. [I]t can be very truthfully said of him that his labors in the public service of Virginia was outstanding". Colgate Darden
Colgate Darden
Colgate Whitehead Darden, Jr. was a Democratic Congressman from Virginia , the 54th Governor of Virginia , Chancellor of the College of William and Mary and the third President of the University of Virginia...
wrote that Col. West "has participated in every phase of civic life looking to the betterment of the State…and through his efforts…the people of Virginia have been enriched and encouraged". William M. Tuck
William M. Tuck
William Munford Tuck served as the 55th Governor of Virginia from 1946 to 1950 as a Democrat.He was the youngest son of Halifax County, Virginia tobacco warehouseman Robert James Tuck and Virginia Susan Fritts. Tuck graduated from the College of William and Mary, earning a teacher's certificate....
described Col. West "as one of Virginia's leading citizens" who "as a citizen and as an official…contributed much that is of value to the life of our Commonwealth."
Col. West was buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Suffolk on January 3, 1947.