HENRY LITCHFIELD WEST
WEST, HENRY LITCHFIELD, journalist and commissioner of the District of Columbia, was born at Factory ville, Staten Island, New York, August 20, 1859. His father, Robert Athow West, was editor of the "Commercial Advertiser" and a man of strongly marked literary tastes. His death, when his son was six years old, left to his widow the care, education and bringing up of their son. She sent him to a private school "at great sacrifice to herself," until he was between twelve and thirteen. Her influence over her son was of the most helpful and elevating character, and more particularly, as her son says, "upon his spiritual nature." Both his parents were of English birth, and his grandfather was a personal colleague of John Wesley, and was widely known as a founder of Methodism in England. Both physically and mentally Mr. West is an instance of the transmission of high principles and marked aptitudes to descendants in the third and fourth generation. Fond of books and out-of-door life, at an early age he began to work in a printing office, and he swept the floors, made the fires, and while learning the trade of printing, attended night school to study geometry, algebra and chemistry. His school course was completed at the West Street academy, Georgetown, District of Columbia, for it was not practical for him to pursue a college or a university course. His work began on the " Georgetown Courier," a weekly paper, at three dollars per week. Newspaper work of all kinds, from that of a reporter, to that of managing editor of the "Washington Post," has been his life work.
President Roosevelt on October 13, 1902, appointed him commissioner of the District of Columbia, reappointing him on October 13, 1905, at the expiration of the term. He had been a member of the board of commissioners representing the District of Columbia at the Tennessee exposition in 1897. Mr. West has not written books, but has been in charge of the department of American Politics in the "Forum." Contributing frequently to magazines and journals, his themes are politics, and topics of interest in congressional legislation,
