Alexander Stuart Walker (August 18, 1826 – August 14, 1896) was an American attorney, judge and newspaperman, who was justice of the

Supreme Court of Texas The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court ...

from March or April 1888 to January 1, 1889.

Early life and education

Walker was born on August 18, 1826, near

Brownsburg, Virginia Brownsburg is an unincorporated community in Rockbridge County, Virginia, United States. The Brownsburg Historic District, Hays Creek Mill, Kennedy-Wade Mill, Level Loop, Mulberry Grove, and New Providence Presbyterian Church are listed on ...

, to John Cowan and Virginia Walker (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Stuart). He studied at Wabash and South Hanover College, graduating in 1850 and moving to

Shelby County, Kentucky Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,065. Its county seat is Shelbyville. The county was established in 1792 and named for Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentuck ...

, until 1852, moving to the

Greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the Office of Management and Budget, United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands, is the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical ...

. A peer of future Texas governor J. Pinckney Henderson, Walker was licensed to practice law in January 1853. He later moved to

Georgetown, Texas Georgetown is a city in Texas and the county seat of Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 67,176 at the 2020 census, and according to 2024 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 101,344. It is no ...

, and in July, R. E. B. Baylor appointed him as its district clerk. He later returned to South Hanover and received an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

Career

In 1858, Walker was elected to the Seventeenth Judicial District of Texas. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he served in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

during 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 ...

, until 1862, when he won a race for a district judge role. After the war, Walker moved to

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

in 1865, where in 1873, he became the first Editor-in-Chief of the ''Democratic Statesman—''later became the ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is owned by Hearst Communications. The distribution of the following ''The New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', '' ...

''—which he helped found. He also continued his attorney career in Austin, such as when he partmered with

Alexander W. Terrell Alexander Watkins Terrell (November 23, 1827 – September 9, 1912) was an American lawyer, judge, planter, Confederate officer, and diplomat. He served as the U. S. Envoy to the Ottoman Empire and a Confederate military officer. He helped pass ...

, a partnership which held until Walker was appointed judge of the Sixteenth Judicial District of Texas in 1880, serving until 1884. He was then appointed by

Oran Milo Roberts Oran Milo Roberts (July 9, 1815May 19, 1898) was an American politician and jurist who served as the 17th governor of Texas from 1879 to 1883. A member of the Democratic Party, Roberts County, Texas, is named after him. Early life Roberts was ...

to the Supreme Court of Texas, serving from March or April 1888, until January 1, 1889. He became the court reporter in June.

Personal life and death

Walker married twice. His first marriage was to Anna Jane Wilbarger, having two children—including Alexander Jr., who went on to become a lawyer. Following her death, he married Mary Maxwell Bowers, having no children together. He was also a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

and

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. He died on August 14, 1896, aged 69, in Austin, and was interred at Oakwood Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, A. S. Justices of the Supreme Court of Texas 1826 births 1896 deaths 19th-century Texas state court judges