William H. West (entertainer)
William H. West (June 18, 1853 – February 15, 1902) was an American blackface performer, known as the "Progressive Minstrel". He was one of the first white owners of a minstrel troupe composed of black performers in the United States.[2]
William H. "Billy" West | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 18, 1853 |
| Died | February 15, 1902 (aged 48) |
| Other names | "Billy" West |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Known for | Minstrel Shows |
| Spouse(s) | Fay Templeton (divorced 1886) Lizette Morris (her death) Emma Hanley (his death) |
Biography
West was born on June 18, 1853, in Syracuse, New York.[2]; his name at birth was William Flynn.
He often produced and played minstrel shows with George Primrose, first with a minstrel troupe owned by J. H. Haverly, and later in a show known as Primrose and West starring entertainers Milt G. Barlow and George Wilson, under the management of Henry J. Sayers.
Primrose and West had a hit, and they came to be called "The Millionaires of Minstrelsy".[3] He became the sole producer of the supposedly Richest and Costliest Minstrel Organization in Existence: West's Big Minstrel Jubilee, which featured some of the leading performers of the day, always ending with the cast, in blackface, singing songs of the period.
West was married four times. His brides were:
- Fay Templeton, married 1883-1886, divorced;[4]
- Rumelia “Lizette” Morris, married Jul 1887 to Jan 1891 (her death);[5]
- May Lucy DeWitt, married 1891 to 1892. One child, son DeWitt Ezra West (1892-1975), was born from this union;
- Emma Hanley, married Oct 1892 to Feb 1902 (his death).
With the exception of Lizette Morris, all of the wives of West appeared on stage with him in various productions throughout the US.
He died on February 15, 1902, in Chicago, Illinois, of cancer.[2] He was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. On his grave marker are the words "None Knew Him But To Love Him. None named him save in praise."
References
- Rice, Edward Le Roy (1911). Monarchs of Minstrelsy, from "Daddy" Rice to Date. Kenny Publishing Company.
- "William H. West Dead. The Well-Known Minstrel Passes Away in Chicago After a Long Illness" (PDF). New York Times. February 16, 1902.
- 1882. Newspaper clipping from "How Burnt Cork Pays." Quoted in Toll 154.
- "Minstrel Man's Trouble". Chicago Tribune. 1885-12-01. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- "The morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, July 23, 1887, Page 3, Image 3 « Georgia Historic Newspapers". gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
