Linton Burnside West, Sr. was born in Springvale, Randolph County, Georgia on January 30, 1894. West earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1915 and an LL.B. in 1918, both from the University of Georgia. In 1919, West began practicing law in Cuthbert, Georgia. He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War I and mayor of Cuthbert from 1920 to 1924. He also served as member of the Georgia House of Representatives for Randolph County from 1925 to 1926. West died in January 1988 in Cuthbert, Georgia.