George Herbert "Bert" Walker Sr. (June 11, 1875 – June 24, 1953) was an American banker and businessman. He was the maternal grandfather of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

George H. W. Bush and a great-grandfather of

George W. Bush, both of whom were named in his honor. He was also the amateur heavyweight-boxing champion of

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

while studying law at Washington University.

Early life

George Herbert Walker was born on June 11, 1875 in St. Louis,

. Walker was descended from a

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

family of slave owners. His great-grandfather Thomas Walker was a British slave trader. He was the youngest son of

David Davis Walker David Davis "D. D." Walker (January 19, 1840 – October 4, 1918) was an American businessman. He started his career as a dry goods wholesaler in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the co-founder of Ely & Walker, which remains a clothing brand to this d ...

, a dry goods merchant from Bloomington,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, and Martha Adela (Beaky). Ely, Walker & Company, which grew into a leading regional wholesaler, was later acquired by

Burlington Industries Burlington Industries, formerly Burlington Mills, is a diversified American fabric maker based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Founded by J. Spencer Love in Burlington, North Carolina in 1923, the company has operations in the United States, Mexico ...

. Walker, who was

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, was educated at

Stonyhurst College Stonyhurst College is a co-educational Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition, on the Stonyhurst Estate, Lancashire, England. It occupies a Grade I listed building. The school has been fully co-educational sinc ...

, a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

boarding school in England. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 1897.

Business career

Walker started a banking and investment firm named G.H. Walker & Co. in 1900. His family had developed many international banking contacts, and he helped organize the

1904 St. Louis World's Fair The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds totaling $15 milli ...

. Walker was known as the power behind the local Democratic Party. In 1920, Walker became the President of the W.A. Harriman & Co. investment firm, and quickly arranged the credits that

W. Averell Harriman William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891July 26, 1986), better known as Averell Harriman, was an American Democratic politician, businessman, and diplomat. The son of railroad baron E. H. Harriman, he served as Secretary of Commerce un ...

needed to take control of the Hamburg-Amerika Line. Walker also organized the American Ship and Commerce Corp. to be subsidiary of the W.A. Harriman & Co., with contractual power over the affairs of the Hamburg-Amerika. W.A. Harriman & Co. (renamed

Harriman Brothers & Company Harriman or Hariman (variant Herriman) is a surname derived from the given name Herman, and in turn occurs as a placename derived from the surname in the United States. Buildings * Dr. O.B. Harriman House, a historic home in Hampton, Iowa, U.S. ...

in 1927) well-positioned for this enterprise and rich in assets from their German and Russian business, merged with the British-American investment house Brown Bros. & Co. on January 1, 1931. Walker retired to his own G.H. Walker & Co. This left the Harriman brothers, his son-in-law Prescott Bush and Thatcher M. Brown as senior partners of the new firm of Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. The firm's London branch continued operating under its historic name Brown, Shipley & Co. Walker was a director of the W.A. Harriman & Company; Harriman Fifteen,

American International Corporation American International Corporation was an American investment trust founded in 1915 by Frank Vanderlip; Willard Straight was the key operational leader. Its board and stockholders included a wide range of leading American financiers and industriali ...

; Georgian Manganese Corporation; Barnsdall Corporation; American Ship & Commerce Corporation; Union Banking Corporation; G.H. Walker & Company;

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

; Laclede Gas and the New Orleans, Texas and Mexico Railroad.

Golf and horseracing

In addition to his business concerns, Walker was also a golf enthusiast and a President of the

United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...

(USGA). The USGA's Walker Cup (the famous biennial golf match) acquired Walker's namesake for his role in the event's creation. He also coheaded the syndicate, (with

), which rebuilt the famed sports venue of

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

and the Belmont Race Track, 1925.

Personal life

Walker married Lucretia Wear (1874–1961), daughter of James H. Wear and they had six children: Dorothy Wear Walker,

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...

cofounder

George Herbert Walker Jr. George Herbert Walker Jr. (November 24, 1905 – November 29, 1977) was an American businessman and an uncle of President George H. W. Bush. Early life George Herbert Walker Jr. was born on November 24, 1905. His father was George Herbert Wal ...

, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Dr.

John M. Walker John Mercer Walker Sr. (January 15, 1907 – August 16, 1990) was an American physician and investment banker. A member of the prominent Bush-Walker family, he was a maternal uncle of US President George H. W. Bush. Biography Walker was the fi ...

Sr. (father of Judge

John M. Walker Jr. John Mercer Walker Jr. (born December 26, 1940) is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He served as chief judge from September 30, 2000, to September 30, 2006, when he assumed senior ...

), James Wear Walker, Nancy Walker, and

Louis Walker Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

(S&B 1936). His brother-in-law Joseph Walker Wear was one of the founders of the

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organi ...

. His son-in-law Prescott Bush was a member of the executive committee of the USGA, serving successively as Secretary, Vice President and President, 1928–1935. Walker not only maintained the

Walker's Point Walker's Point or Walkers Point may refer to: Australia * Walkers Point, Queensland, a locality in the Fraser Coast Region * Walkers Point, Queensland (Bundaberg Region), a town in Woodgate in the Bundaberg Region United States *Walker's Point, ...

estate in Kennebunkport, but also a mansion on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

, and a stunning residence at One Sutton Place in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. In the 1930s Walker purchased the 10,000-acre (40 km²) Duncannon Plantation near

Barnwell, South Carolina Barnwell is a city in and county seat of Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States, located along U.S. Route 278. The population was 4,750 at the 2010 census. Geography Barnwell is located east of the center of Barnwell County at (33.2445 ...

as a private hunting retreat. In the 1940s Walker moved out of the circa 1835 plantation house, and the property became a

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

club. Much of the land was later purchased by the U.S. Government for development of the Savannah River Site.

Death and legacy

Walker died in 1953 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, New York, aged 78. He was survived by his wife, daughter

Dorothy Walker Bush The Bush family is an American dynastic family that is prominent in the fields of American politics, news, sports, entertainment, and business. They were the first family of the United States from 1989 to 1993 and again from 2001 to 2009, and w ...

, several grandchildren including George H. W. Bush, Ambassador to Hungary and Stifel Nicolas CEO

George Herbert Walker III George Herbert Walker III (March 16, 1931 – January 18, 2020) was an American businessman, diplomat and philanthropist. He served as the United States Ambassador to Hungary from 2003 to 2006. He was the first cousin of President George H. W. Bus ...

, William H. T. (Bucky) Bush, Nancy Ellis Bush, Ray Walker, Betty Walker Holden, and many great-grandchildren including George W. Bush and Jeb Bush.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, George Herbert 1875 births 1953 deaths American bankers American financiers American expatriates in the United Kingdom American racehorse owners and breeders People educated at Stonyhurst College Businesspeople from St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis alumni Missouri Democrats Golf people