Absolom Madden West (1818 – September 30, 1894) was an American planter, Confederate militia general, state politician, railroad president and labor organizer. Born in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, he became a plantation owner in

Holmes County, Mississippi Holmes County is a county in the U.S. state of Mississippi; its western border is formed by the Yazoo River and the eastern border by the Big Black River. The western part of the county is within the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. As of the 2010 ce ...

and President of the

Mississippi Central Railroad Mississippi Central Railroad (reporting mark MSCI) is a short line railroad operating over 51 miles from Oxford, Mississippi, to Grand Junction, Tennessee, owned by Pioneer Railcorp. The railroad's principal commodities are wood products and ...

. He served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. After the war, he served in the Mississippi State Senate and ran for

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

, unsuccessfully.

Early life

Absolom Madden West was born in 1818 in

. His father, Anderson West, was a county sheriff.

Career

Norfleet and West obelisks, Hillcrest Cemetery (cropped)

West obtained Federal land grants in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and moved to

in 1837, where he became a planter. He won election to the Mississippi State Senate as a Whig in 1847. In 1853, he became an officer of the newly formed

.Stone, J.H. General Absolom Madden West and the Civil War in Mississippi. J. Miss. Hist. 42:135-144 Although initially an opponent of

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

, when the

broke out, West became a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the Mississippi State Militia.Allardice, B. S., ''More Generals in Gray'', Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, 1995. pp. 233-34. He raised a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

, and later assumed various administrative offices for the state. Sometimes simultaneously, he served as quartermaster-general, paymaster-general, and commissary-general of the Mississippi militia. At his direction, the legislature established a commission consisting of one lawyer and two businessmen to examine and audit the books and papers of his several offices. At the end of the war, West was the only officer of the state to make a final accounting.Lause, Mark A. ''The Civil War's Last Campaign: James B. Weaver, the Greenback-Labor Party & the Politics of Race & Section.'' (Lanpham, Md.: University Press of America, 2001) After 1864, West also served as president of the

. After the war, the railroad was sold to the Illinois Central, and West was returned to the State Senate. Soon thereafter, West was elected to the Federal

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

although he, along with the rest of the unreconstructed Mississippi delegation, was not permitted to be seated. In the years that followed, West established a branch of the

National Labor Union The National Labor Union (NLU) is the first national labor federation in the United States. Founded in 1866 and dissolved in 1873, it paved the way for other organizations, such as the Knights of Labor and the AFL ( American Federation of Labor ...

, and served as a Democratic elector for president in the election of 1876. Re-elected to the State Senate, West soon became disenchanted with the Democrats, and joined the

Greenback party The Greenback Party (known successively as the Independent Party, the National Independent Party and the Greenback Labor Party) was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology which was active between 1874 and 1889. The party ran ...

. For that party and for the Anti-Monopoly Party, West was a candidate for vice president on the ticket of

Benjamin Franklin Butler Benjamin Franklin Butler (November 5, 1818 – January 11, 1893) was an American major general of the Union Army, politician, lawyer, and businessman from Massachusetts. Born in New Hampshire and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, Butler is best ...

1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's '' Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price at ...

Personal life and death

West purchased Oakleigh, an Antebellum mansion in

Holly Springs, Mississippi Holly Springs is a city in, and the county seat of, Marshall County, Mississippi, United States, near the southern border of Tennessee. Near the Mississippi Delta, the area was developed by European Americans for cotton plantations and was d ...

, from Judge Jeremiah W. Clapp in 1870. He died on September 30, 1894 in Holly Springs, and he was buried at the

Hillcrest Cemetery Hillcrest Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Holly Springs, Mississippi, United States. Established in 1837, it is known as the "Little Arlington of the South." It contains the burials of five Confederate generals. Location The cemetery is locat ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Absolom 1818 births 1894 deaths 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American railroad executives Anti-Monopoly Party politicians Burials at Hillcrest Cemetery Confederate militia generals Greenback Party vice presidential nominees Mississippi Greenbacks Mississippi Democrats Mississippi state senators Mississippi Whigs People from Holly Springs, Mississippi People of Mississippi in the American Civil War 1884 United States vice-presidential candidates Military personnel from Alabama