Freeman Walker (October 25, 1780September 23, 1827) was a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Born in

Charles City, Virginia Charles City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Charles City County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Charles City County. The population as of the 2020 census was 104. The community is centered on the Charles City County ...

, he attended the common schools; in 1797, he moved to

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

. Walker studied law, and was admitted to the

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in 1803, commencing practice in Augusta. He was a member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...

from 1807 to 1811, and was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Augusta in 1818 and 1819. He was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

to the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Forsyth, serving from November 6, 1819, to August 6, 1821, when he resigned. He was again mayor of Augusta in 1823. Walker died in Augusta in 1827; interment was in the Walker family cemetery. Freeman Walker's son was Confederate major general William H.T. Walker, who served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Popular culture

"Freeman Walker" is a 2008 novel by David Allan Cates, and is also the name of the title character. There is no connection between this fictional character and the historical Walker, though the story is set in the South in the 19th century, and the use of the same name may have been a coincidence.

Legacy

Walker County, Georgia Walker County is a County (United States), county in the Northwest Georgia, northwest region of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 67,654,US 2020 Census Bureau r ...

, was named for Senator Walker.

References

External links

1780 births 1827 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state) People from Charles City County, Virginia Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Members of the Georgia House of Representatives Mayors of Augusta, Georgia United States senators from Georgia (U.S. state) Walker County, Georgia Democratic-Republican Party United States senators Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic-Republicans American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers United States senators who owned slaves 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly {{GeorgiaUS-mayor-stub