Charles West (Oklahoma politician)

American politician

Charles West

Charles West in 1912

1st Attorney General of Oklahoma
In office
November 16, 1907 – January 1915
Governor| Charles N. Haskell
Lee Cruce
Preceded by| Position established
Succeeded by| Sargent Prentiss Freeling
Personal details
Born| (1872-03-16)March 16, 1872
Savannah, Georgia
Political party| Democratic Party

Charles West was an American politician who served as the first attorney general of Oklahoma from 1907 to 1915.

## Biography

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Charles West was born in Savannah, Georgia on March 16, 1872. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1891 and pursued post-graduate work at the University of Leipzig. He was admitted to the Oklahoma Territory bar in 1895 and practiced in Pound Creek and Enid. He served in the Oklahoma National Guard between 1898 and 1910.[1] He was the first attorney general of Oklahoma between 1907 and 1915.[2] He was the president of the National Association of Attorneys General from 1911 to 1912.[1] He is one of the only public attorneys to represent a Catholic school as an official act of office in the United States.[3]

## Electoral history

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1907 Oklahoma attorney general election[4] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Democratic | Charles West  | 131,055  | 54.5  | New
| Republican | Silas H. Reid  | 99,543  | 41.4  | New
| Socialist | E.T. Marsh  | 9,534  | 3.9  | New
| Democratic gain from  | Swing | N/A  |
Oklahoma attorney general Democratic primary (August 2, 1910)[4] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Democratic | Charles West (incumbent)  | 43,893  | 40.1%
| Democratic | J.C. Graham  | 34,716  | 31.8%
| Democratic | George D. Key  | 30,579  | 28.1%
Turnout | 109,188  |
1910 Oklahoma attorney general election[4] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Democratic | Charles West (incumbent)  | 119,586  | 50.5%  | −4.0%
| Republican | Joseph M. Dodson  | 93,749  | 39.5%  | −1.9%
| Socialist | F. M. Alee  | 23,513  | 9.9%  | +6.0%
| Democratic hold | Swing |  |

## References

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1. ^ a b Joseph B. Thoburn (1916). A Standard History of Oklahoma. Chicago, New York: The American Historical Society. p. 2182. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
2. ^ "Oklahoma Former Attorneys General - NAAG". naag.org. National Association of Attorneys General. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
3. ^ Little, John (August 7, 2010). "Textbooks, Trolleys and Tribunals: Separation of Church and State in Early Oklahoma" (PDF). Oklahoma Bar Journal. 81 (20): 1667–1671. Retrieved 26 September 2023.1667-1671&rft.date=2010-08-07&rft.aulast=Little&rft.aufirst=John&rft_id=https://www.okbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/OBJ2010Aug7-sm.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Charles+West+(Oklahoma+politician)" class="Z3988">
4. ^ a b c "1907-1912 Results" (PDF). oklahoma.gov. Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved 23 September 2023.

* v
* t
* e

Attorneys general of Oklahoma

* West
* Freeling
* Short
* Dabney
* King
* Williamson
* Cobb
* Williamson
* Nesbitt
* Blankenship
* Derryberry
* Cartwright
* Turpen
* Henry
* Loving
* Edmondson
* Pruitt
* Hunter
* O'Connor
* Drummond

Party political offices

First |  Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Oklahoma
1907, 1910  | Succeeded by

Sargent Prentiss Freeling
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