William Stanley West

William Stanley West


United States Senator from Georgia
In office March 2, 1914 – November 3, 1914
Preceded by	Augustus O. Bacon
Succeeded by	Thomas W. Hardwick
Member of the Georgia Senate
In office 1901-1906
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
In office 1892-1901
Personal details
Born	(1849-08-23)August 23, 1849 Buena Vista, Georgia
Died	December 22, 1914(1914-12-22) (aged 65) Valdosta, Georgia
Political party	Democratic

William Stanley West (August 23, 1849 – December 22, 1914) was a United States Senator from the state of Georgia. He was a Democrat.^[1]

Biography

West was born in Buena Vista, Georgia on August 23, 1849. He studied law at Mercer University and graduated in 1876. After passing the bar that same year, West became a practicing attorney. West served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1892 until 1901 and the Georgia Senate from 1901 until 1906. He was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1914 to serve the remainder of the term of Augustus O. Bacon who had died earlier that year.^[1]^[2] West served until Thomas W. Hardwick was elected to fill Bacon's seat.

Only one month after leaving his senatorial position, West died on December 22, 1914, in Valdosta, Georgia.^[1] He was buried in Sunset Hill Cemetery in that same city.

Establishing Valdosta State University

West was instrumental as a State Senator in establishing the South Georgia State Normal College, now Valdosta State University. In 1906, West and State Representative C.R. Ashley presented bills proposing the establishment of a college in Valdosta to the Georgia Senate and the House of Representatives, respectively. By an act of the Georgia State Legislature that year the establishment of an agricultural, industrial, or normal college in South Georgia was approved. Despite the legislation, no funding was granted until the summer of 1911. West donated fifty acres of land for the campus.^[3]

West Hall, built in 1917, is named in his honor.^[3]

The Crescent

West's former house in Valdosta, known as the Crescent, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1898 the old home and grounds now serve as the Valdosta Garden Center, a home for several garden clubs around the city, and is one of the most recognized symbols of the city.^[4]

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.

United States Congress. "William Stanley West (id: W000305)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

1 2 3 "Ex-senator West Dead. Georgia Lawyer Filled the Unexpired Term of Senator Bacon". New York Times. December 23, 1914.
↑ "Col. West Succeeds Bacon. Well-Known Georgian Appointed U.S. Senator by Gov. Slaton". New York Times. February 26, 1914.
1 2 Davis, Deborah. Valdosta State University. College History Series. Arcadia Publishing. Charleston, SC. 2001
↑ http://valdostascene.com/june2009/x155362519/The-Crescent

External links

United States Senate
Preceded by Augustus O. Bacon	U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Georgia March 2, 1914 – November 3, 1914 Served alongside: M. Hoke Smith	Succeeded by Thomas W. Hardwick

United States Senators from Georgia

Class 2	Few Jackson Walton Tattnall Baldwin Jones Crawford Bulloch Bibb Troup Forsyth Walker Ware Cobb Prince Troup King Lumpkin Berrien Charlton Toombs H. Miller Norwood B. Hill Barrow A. Colquitt Walsh Bacon West Hardwick Harris Cohen Russell Gambrell Nunn Cleland Chambliss Perdue

Class 3	Gunn Jackson Milledge Tait Elliott Berrien Forsyth Cuthbert W. Colquitt Johnson Dawson Iverson J. Hill Gordon Brown Gordon Clay Terrell Smith Watson Felton George Talmadge Mattingly Fowler Coverdell Z. Miller Isakson

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