Raphael Benjamin West was an American attorney and politician who served as mayor of Nashville from 1951 to 1963, and as a Tennessee state senator from 1949 to 1951.
10 Facts About Ben West
1.
2.
Ben West moved to Nashville as a boy with his family.
3.
In 1934 Ben West began work as an assistant district attorney in Nashville.
4.
Ben West became active in politics, joining the Democratic Party.
5.
Ben West would build a political base on the reemerging black voter.
6.
In 1951 Ben West won election as mayor of Nashville, along with the first two African-American councilmen in 40 years.
7.
Ben West provided leadership in the desegregation of Nashville public schools.
Related searches
Benjamin West 8.
Ben West served as president of the American Municipal Association.
9.
At a critical moment during the sit-in demonstrations of 1960, following the bombing of the home of Z Alexander Looby, city councilman and defense attorney for the students, 2500 protesters marched to city hall and challenged West to take a stand against segregation.
10.
Ben West appointed a biracial commission, and the Nashville business community quickly agreed to desegregate department store lunch counters.