John C. West

John Carl West Sr. (August 27, 1922 – March 21, 2004) was a U.S. Democratic Party politician who served as the 109th governor of South Carolina from 1971 to 1975. He served as United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1977 to 1981.

Early life West was born in Camden, South Carolina and grew up in the farming community of Charlotte Thompson near Camden. The following May, his father, along with seventy-six other persons, was killed in a fire at the nearby Cleveland School.

After his tenure as governor, West returned to private law practice and was subsequently appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve as United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a position that he held from 1977 to 1981. After returning to the United States, he became a professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of South Carolina. From 1993 until his death from cancer, he was a partner in the Hilton Head law office of Bethea, Jordan, and Griffin.

Personal life West married Lois Rhame in 1942. They had three children. West died of liver cancer at his home on Hilton Head Island on March 21, 2004.