Herringshaw's Encyclopedia of American Biography

Thousands of short American lives — soldiers, inventors, preachers, governors, novelists — each given a paragraph: born where, did what, and why anyone remembered.

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West, Charles W

merchant, philanthropist, was born Aug. 7, 1810, in Montgomery county, Pa. In 1841 he established himself in Cincinnati, where he achieved commercial success. In 1880 he offered to contribute $150,000 toward the erection of an art museum building, provided that an equal amount was raised by subscription, and on the condition being fulfilled he gave twice as much as he had promised. The building was begun in 1882, and completed in 1885. He died Sept. 21, 1884, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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