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
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 ...
. His father, Anderson West, was a county sheriff.
Career
![Norfleet and West obelisks, Hillcrest Cemetery (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Norfleet_and_West_obelisks%2C_Hillcrest_Cemetery_%28cropped%29.jpg)
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
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 ...
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
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 ...
.
[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
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 ...
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 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 ...
. 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 ...
in 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