Early Life
West was born in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, in about 1733 to John West and Alice Sweet. West's father was a large landowner and his mother sold "jonnycakes" during the American Revolution. He has been thought to be a descendant of Francis West of Duxbury, but modern DNA testing has proven he is descended from Francis West who married Susannah Soule, a completely unrelated West Family line. In about 1755 West married Eleanor Brown and served in the French and Indian War around this time. He eventually moved from North Kingstown to Scituate, Rhode Island, and purchased a 200-acre (0.81 km2) farm which Governor Stephen Hopkins had previously owned. West set up a prosperous tavern in 1758 and was an active farmer and molasses trader. Soon after moving to Scituate, West became a deputy (representative) and was also elected as a representative of the town in a general convention held at East Greenwich, September 26, 1786. Between 1760 and 1785, West was elected 12 times as a representative.
Read more about this topic: William West (Rhode Island Politician)
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