John Carl West Sr. (August 27, 1922 – March 21, 2004) was a U.S. Democratic Party politician who served as the 109th

Governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the ''ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...

from 1971 to 1975. He served as

United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia The United States ambassador to Saudi Arabia is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of Saudi Arabia. The United States recognized the government of King Ibn Saud in 1931, but it was not until 19 ...

from 1977 to 1981.

Early life

West was born in

Camden, South Carolina Camden is the largest city in and the county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,764 in the 2020 census, and the 2022 population estimate is 8,213. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina, Metropolita ...

and grew up in the farming community of Charlotte Thompson near Camden. The following May, his father, along with seventy-six other persons, was killed in a fire at the nearby Cleveland School. His mother and maternal grandmother escaped unharmed from the fire. In 1942, he West graduated from

The Citadel The Citadel Military College of South Carolina (simply known as The Citadel) is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Established in 1842, it is the third oldest of the six senior military colleges ...

with a bachelor's degree in political science. After graduation, he enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

as an

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as t ...

officer during World War II, assigned to stateside service.

Political career

Following the war, West earned a law degree from the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

in 1946. From 1948 to 1952, he served on the state Highway Commission. In 1954, he coordinated the unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidacy of Edgar A. Brown, who lost in a

write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

campaign waged by former Governor

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...

. From 1955 to 1967, West served in the

state senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

. He was assigned to several committees which studied public school curriculum, investigated activities of the

Communist Party of the United States of America The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...

, monitored the state Development Board, examined state support for the nursing profession and

junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

s, and recommended revisions to the state constitution. West was the 80th

Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina The lieutenant governor of South Carolina is the second-in-command to the governor of South Carolina. Beyond the responsibility to act or serve as governor in the event of the office's vacancy, the duties of the lieutenant governor are chiefly ce ...

, having served from 1967 to 1971. In the 1970 gubernatorial election, West defeated U.S. Representative Albert W. Watson, a Democrat-turned-Republican with 53.2 percent of the vote . Regarded as a

New South New South, New South Democracy or New South Creed is a slogan in the history of the American South first used after the American Civil War. Reformers used it to call for a modernization of society and attitudes, to integrate more fully with th ...

governor, West vowed in his 1971 inaugural address that he would "eliminate from our government any vestige of discrimination because of race, creed, sex, religion or any other barrier to fairness for all citizens." Ambassador John West with President Carter

Ambassador John West with President Carter

After his tenure as governor, West returned to private law practice and was subsequently appointed by President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

to serve as

, a position that he held from 1977 to 1981. After returning to the United States, he became a Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the

. From 1993 until his death from cancer, he was a partner in the

Hilton Head Hilton Head Island, often referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia (as the crow flies), and southwest of Charlesto ...

law office of Bethea, Jordan, and Griffin.

Personal life

West married Lois Rhame in 1942. They had three children. West died of

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

at his home on

Hilton Head Island Hilton Head Island, often referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia (as the crow flies), and southwest of Charlesto ...

on March 21, 2004.

References

External links

John West: In His Own Words
at University of South Carolina, South Carolina Political Collections
John Carl West Papers
at South Carolina Political Collections, University of South Carolina

at the South Carolina Department of Archives & History (RG 552000)
1971 John C. West Inaugural Parade and Swearing in Ceremony
on

South Carolina Educational Television South Carolina Educational Television (branded South Carolina ETV, SCETV or simply ETV) is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is operated by the South Carolina Educational Television C ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:West, John C. 1922 births 2004 deaths Democratic Party governors of South Carolina Democratic Party South Carolina state senators Lieutenant governors of South Carolina Ambassadors of the United States to Saudi Arabia Diplomats from South Carolina The Citadel alumni United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from South Carolina University of South Carolina faculty University of South Carolina trustees University of South Carolina School of Law alumni University of South Carolina alumni People from Camden, South Carolina Presbyterians from South Carolina Deaths from liver cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in South Carolina 20th-century American diplomats 20th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly