West, James Edward (16 May 1876–15 May 1948), social worker and lawyer, was born in Washington, D.C., the son of James Robert West, a merchant who died around the time of the child’s birth, and Mary Tyree, a seamstress. When West was six, his mother died, and he was sent to a local orphanage. The boy was frequently punished for laziness until it was recognized that he suffered from tuberculosis of the hip and knee. He spent two years in a hospital undergoing painful treatment and was then returned to the orphanage, still with a pronounced limp. His difficult early years helped shape his lifelong commitment to child welfare as well as his conviction that even the bleakest environment could be surmounted by strong character....
