Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/310

 WALKER

WALKER

"Walker, treasurer of Missouri. He attended the Jesuit college of St. Louis ; was appointed 1st lieutenant of mounted rilles, U.S.A.. on the out- break of the Mexican war, and was promoted brevet captain in August, 1847. He took part in the battles of Centre ras and Churubusco. and was severely wounded at Molino del lley. He served in the west and southwest ; resigned his commis- sion in the U.S. army. July 31, 1861 ; joined the Confederate States army and was appointed major of the cavalry corps. He was promoted brigadier-general, Jan. 9, 1862, commanded Lou- doun Heights on the investment of Harper's Ferry, and was the first to open fire upon that place, causing the surrender of the Federal troops. He commanded a division in Long- street's corps under Gen. Robert E. Lee in the Maryland campaign, taking pai't in the battle of Antietam, and commanded a division in the Red River campaign under Gen. E. Kirby Smith. He was promoted major-general, Nov. 8, 1863, and commanded the district of W^est Louisiana in the Trans-Mississippi department. June-August, 1864 ; the district of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, August, 1864-February, 1865, and commanded Wharton's cavalr}' corps, February-May, 1865. He commanded Forney's division, trans-Mississippi department until the close of the war when he went to Mexico and later to England. Returning to the United States he resided in Winchester, Va., where he engaged in mining and railway oi>erations. He was U.S. consul-general at Bo- gota ; and a commissioner to invite the South American republics to send representatives to the convention of American republics at Washing- ton. He died in Washington, D.C., July 20, 1893. WALKER, John Grimes, naval oflficer, was born in Hillsborough, N.H., March 20, 1835; son of Alden and Su.san (Grimes) Walker ; grandson of Samuel and Anna (Carpenter) Walker, and of John and Elizabeth (Wilson) Grimes, and a de- scendant of Widow Walker of Rehoboth, Mass., whose name first appears on the town records in 1643. He was appointed midshipman in the U.S. navy in IS.jO ; was graduated from the U.S. Na- val academy as passed midshipman in 1856 ; was promoted master, Jan. 22, and lieutenant, Jan. 23, 18.")S. He was stationed on the steamer Con- necticiit of the Atlantic coast blockade, 1861 ; was transferred to the steamer Winona of the West Gulf blockading squadron under Farragut, took part in the capture of New Orleans, and in the operations against Vicksburg in 1862. He was promoted lieutenant-commander, July 16, 1862, ■was given command of the iron-clad Baron de Kalb of Porter's .Mi.ssissippi squadron, and took part in the expedition against Arkansas Post, commanded one of tlu- two iron-clads, in the fleet under Lieut.-Com. Watson Smith detailed by Ad-

miral Porter to co-operate with General Sherman in the Yazoo Pass expedition. The fleet attacked Fort Pemberton on three different days, but was obliged to return to the Mississippi. Later, Walker was engaged in operations on the Yazoo river, and took part in the bombardment of Vicksburg, commanding the naval battery in the rear of that place. In co-operation with 5000 troops he commanded the naval expedition up the Yazoo river, during which the De Kalb struck a hidden torpedo and was destroyed. He commanded the steamer Saco of the North At- lantic blockading squadron in 1865 ; and the steamer Shaivmut in the capture of the defences near Wilmington in the same year. He was mar- ried Sept. 12, 1866, to Rebecca White, daughter of Henry White and Frances (Goddard) Pickering of Boston, Mass. He was promoted commander, July 25, 1866 ; served as assistant superintendent at the U.S. naval academy, 1866-69 ; commanded the frigate Sabine, 1869-70 ; was lighthouse in- spector, 1871-72 ; secretary of the lighthouse board, 1873-78 ; was promoted captain, June 25, 1877 ; was connected with a western railroad, 1878-81, and was given command of the steamer Poivhatan on the North Atlantic Station in 1881. He was chief of the bureau of navigation, navy department, 1881-89. He was promoted commo- dore, Feb. 12, 1889 ; was assigned to command the squadron of evolution, and given command successively of the European, the South Atlantic and the North Atlantic squadrons. He was pro- moted rear-admiral, Jan. 23, 1894, commanded the Pacific squadron, March-August, 1894, and served as chairman of the lighthouse board till March 20, 1897, when he was retired. He was chairman of a board for the location of a deep water harbor in Southern California, 1896-97 ; president of Nicaragua Canal conimi,ssion for sur- vey and examination of the Nicaragua canal route, 1897-99, and while president of this com- mission was made president of a commission to locate a bridge across the Niagara river. In 1899 he was made president of Isthmian Canal com- mission for the purpose of examining all practi- cable routes for a ship canal across the American isthmus. He received the honorarj' degree of LL.D. from University of Penn.sylvania in 1903.

WALKER, John Williams, senator, was born in Virginia, in 1789 ; son of Rev. Jeremiah and Jane (Graves) Walker. His father was a native of old Bute county, N.C., but as Baptist minister labored in Virginia, and there his son was born. The Graves family came from Virginia to Bute county, where Jeremiah Walker married. John W. Walker grew to manhood in Elbert county, Ga., being prepared for college under the Rev. Moses Waddel of Georgia, and was graduated from the College of New Jersey, A.B., 1806, A.M.,