Lillian West

Lillian Carlisle was born in 1884 in Troy, Alabama, and moved to the St. Andrews bay area as a young child.

She managed the interests of her family near East Bay and developed a reputation as an astute businesswoman. In 1907 Lillian approached George West regarding the construction of the East Bay canal and wrote an editorial for the Pilot, vocalizing her support for the canal. She married George West in 1909 and actively began assisting with the daily operations of the Panama City Pilot and later the St. Andrews Bay News. Lillian became the primary editor of both papers and ghostwrote several published editorials. As George’s health began declining, she took over most of the editorial work and was the official business manager until he died in 1926.

At a time when women were viewed as “less than,” Lillian’s role as the editor of a general circulation newspaper was unusual. She often went by the professional name of L.C. West to hide her gender. She oversaw the operations of the Panama City Pilot, the St. Andrews Bay News, and the Lynn Haven Free Press until 1937. The newspapers run by her and her husband gained a reputation as having liberal ideologies. They were supporters of prohibition, advocates for women’s suffrage, large business regulation, and government accountability. Lillian was the first woman in St. Andrews to register to vote in 1920.

By the 1920s, she was the driving force behind the paper’s editorial philosophy. In 1937 she sold all three newspapers to John Perry, and the non-compete clause in the purchase agreement caused her to leave the news business. She managed and operated the publishing company for several years until her death in 1970.

George West

Printing Museum