Junius Edgar West
American politician (1866-1947)
Junius Edgar West (July 12, 1866 – January 1, 1947) was a Virginia politician and businessman who was born in Sussex County, Virginia, on July 12, 1866, and whose long and distinguished career culminated in two terms as the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.
Biography
West was the fifth son of Henry Thomas West and Susan Cox West. He was educated in public and private schools in Sussex County and matriculated in the college preparatory course at the Suffolk Collegiate Institute in Suffolk, Virginia. He attended college at the University of North Carolina and studied law at both Washington and Lee University and the University of Virginia.
Upon completion of his formal education he returned to Waverly, Virginia and became Superintendent of Sussex County Schools in 1889. As superintendent, West suggested innovations that would improve the system in Sussex; a nine-month school term, better qualified teachers with increased pay, better schoolhouses and furniture, and a reasonable compensation to trustees for their services.
While residing in Waverly, West formed an insurance business with a brother, John West. Two years later he decided to seek greater opportunities in the insurance field in Suffolk, Virginia, where he joined the firm of Col. L. P. Harper. West soon became the junior partner in the firm of Harper and West.
“Junius Edgar West” enters the record as american politician (1866-1947). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Junius, Edgar and West can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q112939. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1866, 1947 and 1889.
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