William West (Rhode Island politician)
William West (c. 1733–1816) was an American militia general in the American Revolutionary War, Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, Deputy Governor of Rhode Island, and anti-federalist leader. West also was a party in the first U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1791, West v. Barnes.
West was born in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, in about 1733 to Alice Sweet and John West, a great-grandson of Pilgrim, George Soule. West's father was a large landowner and his mother sold "jonnycakes" during the American Revolution. West had 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.
At the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775, Colonel West was placed second in command of the Rhode Island Militia under Esek Hopkins, and West served as a brigadier general from 1775 to 1777. From January to March 1776, West assumed command at Rhode Island (Aquidneck Island) which was then under siege from the British warships in Narragansett Bay. As general, his main task was to root out Tories who were supplying the British. In March, he resigned the command at Newport in disgust after the Rhode Island legislature freed several imprisoned Newport Tory leaders, such as Joseph Wanton, Jr..
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