James E West was born May 16, 1876. At the age of 6 years old his mother died and he never knew his father. The result was being an orphan. The orphanage in Washington, D.C naturally was a place with very strict rules and offered very few opportunities for the children. Between the ages of 8 - 10, James was in a hospital being treated for tuberculosis, which left one of his legs crippled.

James had a strong personality, which he used to convince the orphanage to allow him and the other children to have an opportunity for an education and to build a library for them. As a teenager, he was very engaged in earning money to further his education. He worked at a bicycle shop after proving to the owner that he could ride a bike with his only good leg. He worked his way through college and law school.

Eventually he became an attorney for the federal government. There is an account of a teenage boy stealing James’ car, and after being caught, James E West volunteered to be the defendant for the boy is court. He was an advocate for all children. He convinced the U.S. Congress to establish a children’s court. In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America invited him (with the endorsement of President Theodore Roosevelt) to become the executive secretary for a term of six months. He ended up staying and for the next 32 years was the first Chief Scout Executive. There were some hard times during the great depression. But during these hard times, James E West was able to save Boys’ Life along with the Order of the Arrow.

The points of the Scout Law: Brave, Clean, and Reverent were added by James E West. Also, the third part of the Scout Oath was is doing also, To help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

James E West died on May 15, 1948