Frank Comerford Walker (May 30, 1886 – September 13, 1959) was an American lawyer and politician. He was the

United States Postmaster General The United States postmaster general (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by ...

from 1940 until 1945, and the chairman of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

from 1943 until 1944.

Biography

Frank Walker was born in

Plymouth, Pennsylvania Plymouth is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, located west of Wilkes-Barre, along the Susquehanna River. The population was 5,763 as of the 2020 census. History Plymouth was first settled in 1769 by the Susquehanna C ...

, the son of David Walker (1848–1902), a grocer, and his wife, Ellen Comerford (1851–1916). His father moved his family to Montana about 1890, where he became the foreman of the Butte City Copper Mine. He died in 1902 of tuberculosis. Frank Walker attended

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) ( ) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges ...

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

for three years and earned a law degree from Notre Dame in 1909. He then joined his older brother

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

in a law practice in

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the 2 ...

. In 1913, he was elected to a term as a Montana state representative. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Walker volunteered for the U.S. Army. He became a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

and saw action on the Western Front. After the war, he returned to his law practice. He married Hallie Victoria Boucher (1892–1969) at Butte on November 11, 1914. They had two children, Thomas and Laura. In 1925, he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to become manager and general counsel of Comerford Theatres, a chain of

movie theater A movie theater (American English) or cinema (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business ...

s owned by his uncle Michael E. Comerford. For a time he was the pro-bono legal advisor to the Motion Picture Theater Owners of America, a trade organization. In New York, Walker expanded his political activities, and became an early supporter of

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. In 1931, he co-founded the Roosevelt for President Society, and from 1932 to 1934, served as Treasurer of the

(DNC). Until Roosevelt's death, Walker was one of his closest advisers. When Roosevelt became President in 1933, he appointed Walker executive secretary of the National Emergency Council, a

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

agency related to the

NRA NRA may refer to: Organizations Asia and Oceania * National Railway Administration, the national railway regulator of China * National Recruitment Agency, Central Recruiting Agency of the Indian Government * New Revolutionary Alternative, an anar ...

. In 1940, Walker became Postmaster General (succeeding

James Farley James Aloysius Farley (May 30, 1888 – June 9, 1976) was an American politician who simultaneously served as chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and United States Postmaster Gener ...

, who had also been DNC Chairman and Roosevelt's campaign manager). As Postmaster General, Walker continued his role as political adviser, often taking part in matters far removed from the

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

. For example, during the negotiations which preceded the December 1941

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

, he was in regular contact with Japanese Ambassador Nomura. In 1943, Walker became Chairman of the DNC, serving until 1944, when he stepped down and was succeeded by Robert Hannegan. In May 1945, Walker announced his retirement as Postmaster General, to allow President

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

to appoint his own candidate to the office. Truman selected Hannegan to succeed Walker in this office too, effective July 1. Later in 1945, Truman appointed Walker as a member of the first U.S. delegation to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. He died in

on September 13, 1959, at the age of 73 and was buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery,

References

External links

University of Virginia's Miller Center
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Frank C. 1886 births 1959 deaths 20th-century American lawyers Democratic National Committee chairs Franklin D. Roosevelt administration cabinet members Laetare Medal recipients Democratic Party members of the Montana House of Representatives People from Plymouth, Pennsylvania Truman administration cabinet members United States postmasters general Notre Dame Law School alumni United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army officers Democratic National Committee treasurers Military personnel from Pennsylvania 20th-century members of the Montana Legislature

Biography

References

Further reading

External links