James Marion West, Sr.

James Marion West Sr. was a wealthy Houston, Texas businessman who substantially influenced the citys development during the early 20th century.

West was born in Waynesboro, Mississippi on May 2, 1871 to Silas Wesley and Mattie West. He moved with his family to Texas at the age of nine. His family settled on land in Trinity County and began a life of subsistence farming. Times were not easy and the family struggled financially through his early years. West would leave school early at the age ofdue to the financial stress his family endured. He would subsequently begin a career that would lead him to become a millionaire many times over by the early 20th Century.

Source: Wikipedia