Clifford Mitchell Walker (July 4, 1877 – November 9, 1954) was an American attorney and politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. A graduate of the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

in 1897, he was a member of the

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon () is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on March 9, 1856.Baird, William Raimond, ed. (1905).Baird's Manual of American College Fratern ...

fraternity. Walker served consecutive two-year terms as the 64th Governor of Georgia as a Democrat from 1923 to 1927, after winning with the support of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

. Walker made few legislative advances during his term as governor, and is largely remembered for his membership in the KKK and his inclusion of KKK leadership in policy matters throughout his term.Huff, Christopher Allen. "Clifford Walker (1877–1954)" http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/government-politics/clifford-walker-1877-1954 His additional political service included the office of Mayor of

Monroe, Georgia Monroe is a city and the county seat of Walton County, Georgia, Walton County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. It is located both one hour east of Atlanta via U.S. Route 78 in Georgia, US 78 and Georgia State Route 138, GA 138 to I ...

. Before his gubernatorial terms, Walker served as the state attorney general from 1915 to 1920. He was also a co-founder of the Woodrow Wilson College of Law in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Georgia. Walker made the first appointment of a poet laureate of the U.S. state of Georgia, that being Frank Lebby Stanton in 1925. He was born in Monroe in 1877. Walker died at his home in Monroe in 1954 and was buried in the Old Baptist Cemetery in that same city.

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References

Georgia State Archives Roster of State Governors
* 1877 births 1954 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic Party governors of Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) attorneys general Mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state) University of Georgia alumni American Ku Klux Klan members {{GeorgiaUS-mayor-stub