Ben West
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other persons named Benjamin West, see Benjamin West (disambiguation).
Raphael Benjamin West (March 31, 1911–November 20, 1974) was mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1951-1963.
Born in Columbia, Tennessee, he attended Cumberland Law School and Vanderbilt University. After losing the Nashville mayoral race in 1943, he won election as vice-mayor in 1946, later winning a state senator race in 1949.
His strong ties with the African American community led Nashville to be the first southern city to desegregate public facilities. After Nashville became a consolidated city-county government, he lost re-election.
[edit] References
- Staff report (November 22, 1974). BEN WEST IS DEAD; NASHVILLE MAYOR; Served From 1951 to 1963--Enforced Integration Enforced Integration. New York Times
[edit] External links
- Ben West via Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
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