George West (February 17, 1823September 20, 1901) was an

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

and a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from New York.

Life

Born in

Bradninch Bradninch is a small town and former manor in Devon, England, lying about south of Cullompton. Much of the surrounding farmland belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall. There is an electoral ward with the same name. At the 2011 Census the ward pop ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

shire,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, West attended the common schools. West emigrated to the United States in February 1849 and settled at

Ballston Spa, New York Ballston Spa is a village and the county seat of Saratoga County, New York, United States, located southwest of Saratoga Springs. The population of the village, named after Rev. Eliphalet Ball, a Congregationalist clergyman and an early settler, wa ...

in 1860.

Business career

In Ballston Spa West gradually acquired nine water-powered mills on

Kayaderosseras Creek The Kayaderosseras Creek, usually shortened to Kaydeross, is the largest river that lies completely within Saratoga County, New York State. It originates in the Kayaderosseras Range in the northern part of the county, passes through the towns of ...

by 1879 manufacturing cotton, paper, and

paper bag A paper bag is a bag made of paper, usually kraft paper. Paper bags can be made either with virgin or recycled fibres to meet customers’ demands. Paper bags are commonly used as shopping carrier bags and for packaging of some consumer go ...

s. West was called "The Paper Bag King" because he was one of the first men in the country to manufacture paper bags at a time when most bags were made from cotton. In 1869, he and the few other bag manufacturers in the country joined with

Francis Wolle Francis Wolle (December 17, 1817 in Jacobsburg, Pennsylvania – 1893 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) was an American priest of the Moravian Church, inventor and phycologist. Francis Wolle invented the first bag-making machine in 1851, forming the ba ...

, inventor of the first paper bag machine, to form the Union Paper Bag Machine Company. Its only purpose was to "buy and fight patents."Timothy Starr (2009) ''The Paper Bag King: A Biography of George West'' This early

trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another * Trust (bus ...

was highly successful, as each member had access to all of the earliest paper bag patents and agreed not to compete with each other. West manufactured bags from

manila paper Manila paper is a relatively inexpensive type of paper, generally made through a less-refined process than other types of paper, and is typically made from semi-bleached wood fibers. It is just as strong as kraft paper but has better printing qu ...

made of

Manila hemp Manila hemp, also known as abacá, is a type of buff-colored fiber obtained from ''Musa textilis'' (a relative of edible bananas), which is likewise called Manila hemp as well as abacá. It is mostly used for pulping for a range of uses, inclu ...

, also known as

abacá Abacá ( ; fil, Abaka ), binomial name ''Musa textilis'', is a species of banana native to the Philippines, grown as a commercial crop in the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. The plant, also known as Manila hemp, has great economic impo ...

from the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Thus, he was able to sell them at a much lower cost than cotton sacks. They became extremely popular, and he sold millions per week. His paper bag factory in

Rock City Falls Rock City Falls is a hamlet in the town of Milton, Saratoga County, New York, United States. The principal roads are Route 29 and Rock City Falls Road. The hamlet achieved fame as the origins of Paper Bag King George West, who established his E ...

was one of the first in the country to manufacture bags with machinery. The success of his bags compelled West to purchase or build additional paper mills. By 1880 his mills consisted of the Union, Union Bag, Island, Eagle, Pioneer, Glen (pulp), Empire, Excelsior, and Middle Grove Upper and Lower Mills, all situated on the

in Milton. He purchased his largest mill in the town of

Hadley, New York Hadley (, ) is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,971 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Hadley, Massachusetts. The Town of Hadley is in the northern part of the county and is west of Glens Fa ...

on the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

. West sold his paper mill empire to the Union Bag & Paper Company in 1899 for $1.5 million. He also served as President of the First National Bank of Ballston Spa from 1879 until his death.

Political career

West served as member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(Saratoga Co., 1st Assembly District) in

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...

, 1873, 1874,

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

and

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...

and was a delegate to the

1880 Republican National Convention The 1880 Republican National Convention convened from June 2 to June 8, 1880, at the Interstate Exposition Building in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Delegates nominated James A. Garfield of Ohio and Chester A. Arthur of New York as the offic ...

. He was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Forty-seventh Congress, holding office from March 4, 1881, to March 3, 1883. He was defeated by Edward Wemple in 1882, but returned to the 49th and 50th United States Congresses, holding office from March 4, 1885, to March 3, 1889. Afterwards, he resumed his former business activities.

Personal

West married Louisa Rose (1822-1901) in England. The couple had six children, three of whom lived to adulthood. George (b.1845, Devonshire, England, d.1906, Ballston Spa, New York), Walter S. (1854-1875), and Florence L. (b.1856, Russell, Massachusetts, d.1934, Saratoga Springs, New York), who married D. W. Mabee. He was known as a philanthropist, donating funds to build a museum in

Round Lake, New York Round Lake is a village in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,245 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from a circular lake adjacent to the village. In 1975, the Round Lake Historic District, which encompasses the v ...

, a Methodist church in Ballston Spa, and making liberal contributions towards the two soldiers' monuments in

Saratoga County Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, representing a 7.2% increase from the 2010 popul ...

, in Ballston Spa and

Schuylerville Schuylerville () is a village in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The village is located in the northeastern part of the Town of Saratoga, east of Saratoga Springs. The Village of Victory is adjacent to Schuylerville to the southwes ...

. In 1901 West died at his mansion in Ballston Spa with a fortune that would today be worth $75 million. His wife predeceased him by seven months. They are buried in the Ballston Spa Village Cemetery. His original residence in Rock City Falls still stands on Route 29 as '' The Mansion Inn'', now listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

References

Sources

* * Lost Industries of the Kaydeross Valley: A History of Manufacturing in Ballston Spa, New York; Timothy Starr, 2007

External links

The Paper Bag King: A Biography of George West; Timothy Starr, 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:West, George 1823 births 1901 deaths American bankers English emigrants to the United States Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Burials in Saratoga County, New York Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Mid Devon District People from Ballston Spa, New York 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople