William H. West

William Henry West
File:William H. West - bench and bar.jpg
11th Ohio Attorney General
In office January 8, 1866 – January 10, 1870
Preceded by	Chauncey N. Olds
Succeeded by	Francis Bates Pond
Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
In office February 9, 1872 – February 25, 1873
Preceded by	Josiah Scott
Succeeded by	Walter F. Stone
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the Logan County district
In office January 4, 1858 – January 1, 1860
Preceded by	Samuel M. Allen
Succeeded by	James W. Hamilton
In office January 6, 1862 – January 3, 1864
Preceded by	James W. Hamilton
Succeeded by	Charles W. B. Allison
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 13th district
In office January 4, 1864 – December 31, 1865
Preceded by	John Hood
Succeeded by	P. B. Cole
Personal details
Born	(1824-02-09)February 9, 1824 Washington County, Pennsylvania
Died	Bellefontaine, Ohio
Resting place	Bellefontaine City Cemetery
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Williams Clara Riddle Gorton
Children	four
Alma mater	Jefferson College
Signature	William H. West's signature

For other people of the same name, see William West (disambiguation).

William Henry West (February 9, 1824–March 14, 1911) was a Republican Party politician in the U.S. state of Ohio who served as Ohio Attorney General from 1866 to 1868, and a member of the Ohio Supreme Court from February 1872 to 1873. His failing eyesight and powerful oration led to the title Blind Man Eloquent.

Biography

William H. West was born in Millsborough, Washington County, Pennsylvania. He was born on the anniversary of William Henry Harrison's birthday, and was named in his honor. In 1830, his parents settled on a farm in Knox County, Ohio, near Mount Vernon. In 1840 he entered the Martinsburg, Ohio Academy. He taught and studied until entering Jefferson College in Pennsylvania in 1844. He graduated second in his class of 58 in 1846.

West taught school in Kentucky until 1848, when he accepted a tutorship at Jefferson College, and then a year later an adjunct professorship at Hampden-Sidney College. In 1850 he became a law student of William Lawrence at Bellefontaine, Ohio. After admission to the bar, West was law partner of Lawrence from July 1851 to February, 1854. In 1852, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Logan County, Ohio, where he lived at Bellefontaine the rest of his life. He was an important force in the formation of the Republican Party in Ohio, and a prominent speaker at the Anti-Nebraska Party convention in Columbus in 1854. He was elected to represent his county in the Ohio House of Representatives for the 53rd General Assembly, 1858–1859, declined nomination in 1859, and was elected to the 55th General Assembly, 1862-1863. West was a delegate to the 1860 Republican National Convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln.

West was elected to the Ohio Senate for the 56th General Assembly, 1864-1865. He was elected Ohio Attorney General in 1865 and then re-elected in 1867. In 1869, he was appointed United States Consul to Rio de Janeiro by President Grant, and confirmed by the Senate, but declined. In 1871, West was elected a judge on the Ohio Supreme Court, but resigned after about a year due to failing eyesight. In 1873, he was elected a delegate to the State Constitutional Convention.

In 1877, West was nominated by his party for Governor. A railroad strike was in progress at the time of the convention, and West spoke to an assembled crowd. He took the side of labor. This helped contribute to his defeat that autumn.

West presented James G. Blaine for nomination for President at the 1884 Republican National Convention, with the understanding that he would be appointed Attorney General if Blaine should be President. Blaine lost. West continued to argue cases at the Logan County Courthouse until his 80th birthday in 1904, with only the steep steps and lack of an elevator leading to his retirement.

West was married twice. His first marriage was to Elizabeth Williams in Lima on June 19, 1851. They had four sons, and Elizabeth died in 1871. In 1872, West married Clara Riddle Gorton. She died in 1901. He died at his home in Bellefontaine on March 14, 1911. West was interred at Bellefontaine City Cemetery, where his wives had been buried.

See also

• List of Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court