The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr.
Former United States Secretary of the Army and former United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Togo Dennis West, Jr. was born on June 21, 1942 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to Togo D. West, Sr. and Evelyn E. Carter West. His grandmother named him after Japanese Admiral Heihachiro Togo, hero of 1905’s Russo-Japanese War. West grew up in East Winston, North Carolina where his mother was a teacher and his father was the principal of Atkins High School. West attended Atkins High School, graduating in 1959 as a member of the National Honor Society, valedictorian and an Eagle Scout with Bronze Palm. In 1965, he earned his B.S. degree from Howard University and worked briefly as an electrical engineer. West entered Howard University Law School and in 1967 worked as a legal intern for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. West became managing editor of the Howard Law Journal and graduated first in his class with his J.D. degree in 1968.
After clerking for Harold R. Tyler, Jr., a federal district court judge, West was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army. West served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps where he was recognized with the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal. He subsequently practiced law with Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. before being appointed associate deputy attorney general by President Gerald Ford in 1975. West served in several capacities in President Jimmy Carter’s administration including general counsel to the Navy from 1977 to 1979; special assistant to the secretary and to the deputy secretary of defense in 1979; and general counsel to the United States Department of Defense from 1980 to 1981. He returned to private practice as managing partner at Patterson, Belknap, Webb and Tyler and later served as senior vice president for government relations with Northrop Corporation. In 1993, West was appointed United States Secretary of the Army by President Bill Clinton. In 1998, President Clinton appointed West as United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. West succeeded Eddie Williams as president and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in 2004. In 2006, he founded TLI Leadership Group and served as its Chairman.
West was the recipient of numerous honors including being named Distinguished Eagle Scout in 1995. He later received scouting’s coveted Silver Buffalo Award and the Silver Beaver Award for his work with youth. West was married to the former Gail Berry.
West passed away on March 8, 2018 at age 75.
West was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on February 8, 2007.
A2007.054
Male
2/8/2007 |and| 7/24/2008
West
D.
St. Benedict The Moor
Atkins Academic and Technology High School
Howard University School of Law
Togo
Winston-Salem
WES03
Summer
North Carolina
Anywhere Warm
I Think Therefore I Am.

District of Columbia
6/21/1942
Washington
United States
Spaghetti, Chili
3/8/2018
Government lawyer and presidential appointee The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. (1942 - 2018 ) was the Secretary of the U.S. Army, and also held positions as associate deputy attorney general and general counsel to the Navy. West served as the deputy secretary of defense, general counsel to the United States Department of Defense and became President and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in 2004.
Covington & Burling LLP
Judge Advocate Generals Corps
North Carolina Blue
Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr.'s interview, session 1
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. lists his favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his mother's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his mother's upbringing
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his father's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers his paternal grandfather
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. talks about his Chinn ancestors
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his paternal relatives
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his father's education
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls his father's early teaching career
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes how his parents met
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. talks about his father's career
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. talks about being an only child
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his earliest childhood memory
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls the East Winston neighborhood of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his experiences of religion
Tape: 2 Story: 9 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his early interest in sports
Tape: 2 Story: 10 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. talks about North Carolina's colleges
Tape: 2 Story: 11 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers the popularity of tobacco use
Tape: 2 Story: 12 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls the business community in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his early education
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes the Safe Bus Company
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls the black business community in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls the entertainment of his youth
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his home life
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers joining the Boy Scouts of America
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers a naval cruise with the Boy Scouts
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his travels with the Boy Scouts
Tape: 3 Story: 9 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers becoming an Eagle Scout
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls his experiences as an Eagle Scout, pt. 1
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls his experiences as an Eagle Scout, pt. 2
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers his academic success
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his father's legacy as an educator
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his interest in literature
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers his high school teachers
Tape: 4 Story: 7 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his high school activities, pt. 1
Tape: 4 Story: 8 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his high school activities, pt. 2
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - Slating of The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr.'s interview, session 2
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers school segregation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, pt. 1
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers school segregation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, pt. 2
Tape: 5 Story: 4 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. talks about segregation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls his peers at Atkins High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his involvement in the Boy Scouts
Tape: 5 Story: 7 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls his father's interest in the U.S. military
Tape: 5 Story: 8 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his experiences at Atkins High School
Tape: 5 Story: 9 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes the student body at Atkins High School
Tape: 6 Story: 1 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his high school graduation
Tape: 6 Story: 2 - The Honorable Togo D. West Jr. recalls his decision to attend Howard University
Tape: 6 Story: 3 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers his first impressions of Howard University
Tape: 6 Story: 4 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his engineering coursework
Tape: 6 Story: 5 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls his peers at Howard University, pt. 1
Tape: 6 Story: 6 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers Stokely Carmichael
Tape: 6 Story: 7 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls his peers at Howard University, pt. 2
Tape: 6 Story: 8 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls his summer activities
Tape: 6 Story: 9 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. talks about his love of reading
Tape: 7 Story: 1 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls his decision to attend law school
Tape: 7 Story: 2 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls learning about the history of Howard University
Tape: 7 Story: 3 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls the Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina
Tape: 7 Story: 4 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. talks about segregation in the South
Tape: 7 Story: 5 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls his influences at Howard University
Tape: 7 Story: 6 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his law school professors, pt. 1
Tape: 7 Story: 7 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers Patricia Roberts Harris
Tape: 7 Story: 8 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his law school professors, pt. 2
Tape: 7 Story: 9 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers Jeanus B. Parks
Tape: 8 Story: 1 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers Carl Edwin Anderson
Tape: 8 Story: 2 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes the mentorship of Jeanus B. Parks
Tape: 8 Story: 3 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls meeting his wife
Tape: 8 Story: 4 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes the start of his legal career
Tape: 8 Story: 5 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls working for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Tape: 8 Story: 6 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls Thurgood Marshall's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court
Tape: 8 Story: 7 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
Tape: 8 Story: 8 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes his peers at the Howard University School of Law
Tape: 9 Story: 1 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers JeRoyd W. Greene, Jr., pt. 1
Tape: 9 Story: 2 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers JeRoyd W. Greene, Jr., pt. 2
Tape: 9 Story: 3 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes the legacy of the Howard University School of Law
Tape: 9 Story: 4 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers Judge Harold R. Tyler, Jr.
Tape: 9 Story: 5 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. describes Harold R. Tyler, Jr.'s legal career
Tape: 9 Story: 6 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. recalls serving in the Judge Advocate General's Corps
Tape: 9 Story: 7 - The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr. remembers Nathaniel R. Jones
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