Upon completion of his formal education he returned to Waverly, Virginia and became Superintendent of Sussex County Schools in 1889.

Two years later he decided to seek greater opportunities in the insurance field in Suffolk, Virginia, where he joined the firm of Col. L. P. Harper.

Soon after their marriage they purchased the residence then located at the east corner of West Washington Street and St. James Avenue where they lived for the remainder of his life.

He became active in local politics and was elected to Suffolk City Council and served as president of that body in 1896.

Claude A. Swanson, who served as Governor of Virginia from 1906 to 1910, named West to his staff and bestowed upon him the title of colonel by which he was known for the remainder of his life.

On Sunday, September 17, 1950, a memorial service was held in the classroom at which time a portrait of West was presented to the class.

On January 27, 1932, in the State Senate Chamber in Richmond, West was honored with a formal dedication of his portrait.

He has been eminently successful, progressive yet conservative, and is always alert and ready to strive for the best interests of Virginia and her citizens".

Louis Jaffe, the Pulitzer Prize-winning editor of the Norfolk Virginian Pilot, described West as a "conspicuous member of the General Assembly [who] ... in many ways as an almost ideal legislator ... No inconsiderable part of the most valuable legislation of that transitional period of Virginia history bore his name."

Colgate Darden wrote that West "has participated in every phase of civic life looking to the betterment of the State ... and through his efforts ... the people of Virginia have been enriched and encouraged".