Jesse F. West (July 16, 1862 – October 25, 1929) was born in

Sussex County, Virginia Sussex County is a rural county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,829. Its county seat is Sussex. It was formed in 1754 from Surry County. The county is named after the county of Sussex, ...

. He was educated in public schools, the Suffolk Collegiate Institute and the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

, where he graduated in 1885. Following his graduation there, he attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

and studied law under Professor

John B. Minor John Barbee Minor (June 2, 1813 – July 29, 1895) was an American jurist and History of slavery in Virginia, slaveowner. He practiced law in Virginia and then taught at the University of Virginia School of Law for fifty years. His students achie ...

. He was admitted to the bar in July 1886, and began practice in his home county of Sussex. In 1890, he was elected superintendent of schools, but resigned on January 1, 1892, to accept the offer of judge of the county court. He was elected by the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...

in 1902, to the position of judge of the Third Judicial Circuit, beginning his term on February 1, 1904. On January 17, 1992, West was nominated to the

Supreme Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Virginia is the supreme court, highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and ...

to fill the term of

Edward W. Saunders Edward Watts Saunders (October 20, 1860 – December 16, 1921) was a Virginia lawyer, politician and judge, who served as Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, U.S. Representative and justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Biography ...

, upon the latter's death. He began his tenue on the Court on February 1, 1922, and served there until his death in 1929 at his home in

Waverly, Virginia Waverly is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Virginia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,955. History Popular legend has it that William Mahone (1826–1895), builder of the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad (now No ...

References

Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia Virginia lawyers 1862 births 1929 deaths People from Waverly, Virginia University of North Carolina alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni 20th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers Virginia circuit court judges {{Virginia-politician-stub