Born in Franklin County, Tennessee, Claiborne West moved as a young man to Louisiana, married Anna Garner in 1824, and had nine children. His family immigrated to this area in 1825 and received a land grant in the Cow Bayou settlement. He soon joined the struggle for independence from Mexico. As one of the representatives from Liberty Municipality, he attended the 1832 Convention and the 1835 Consultation at San Felipe de Austin. West was responsible for the designation of Cow Bayou as Jefferson Municipality, the forerunner of Jefferson and later Orange County. He served as a representative from the municipality to the General Council and acted as local postmaster. At the General Convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, West was one of 58 signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. He helped draft the Republic of Texas Constitution. From July to October, 1836, West served in Franklin Hardin's Company of Volunteers. He then served in the first Congress of the Republic of Texas. West moved from here to Montgomery County and later settled in Seguin, where he was buried in Riverside Cemetery.