Isaac P. Walker
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Isaac Pigeon Walker (November 2, 1815March 29, 1872) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
pioneer. He was one of Wisconsin's first , serving from 1848 through 1855. In the Senate, he was best known for his support of radical
land reform Land reform (also known as agrarian reform) involves the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership, land use, and land transfers. The reforms may be initiated by governments, by interested groups, or by revolution. Lan ...
; much of what he proposed was enacted as the
Homestead Act of 1862 The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. In all, more than of public land, or nearly 10 percent of t ...
after he left office. His political career, however, was prematurely ended by the complicated politics of pre-Civil War slavery compromises—Walker was always personally opposed to slavery, but endorsed a compromise on handling the
Mexican Cession The Mexican Cession () is the region in the modern-day Western United States that Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United S ...
which was anathema to his anti-slavery Wisconsin electorate. Before Wisconsin statehood, he served in the House of Representatives of the
Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...
, and was speaker for one session during the 5th Wisconsin Territorial Assembly. Before coming to Wisconsin, he also served one term in the
Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...
. Isaac P. Walker was a younger brother of George H. Walker, one of the founders of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, and Milwaukee's 5th mayor.


Early life in Illinois

Isaac Walker was born in what is now Wheeling, West Virginia, (then part of
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
) in 1815. As a child, he moved with his family to
Shawneetown, Illinois Shawneetown is a city in Gold Hill Township, Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,054 at the 2020 United States census. It is the county seat of Gallatin County. Geography Shawneetown is located southeast of the cent ...
, where he was raised and educated. Before reaching adulthood, he moved to
Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The populations was 29,204 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Danville micropolitan area. History The area that is now Danville was on ...
, where he worked as a store clerk and pursued his education. He then read law in the law offices of
Samuel McRoberts Samuel McRoberts (April 12, 1799March 27, 1843) was a United States senator from Illinois. Born near Maeystown, he was educated by private tutors and graduated from the law department of Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. He was ...
; he was admitted to the bar in 1834 and became a junior partner to McRoberts. In Danville, Walker also became involved in politics with the Democratic Party. At the young age of 23, in the fall of 1838, he was elected as one of three members elected at large to represent
Vermilion County, Illinois Vermilion County is a county in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Illinois, between the Indiana border and Champaign County. It was established in 1826 and was the 45th of Illinois' 102 counties. According to the 2020 United States censu ...
, in the
Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...
for the 11th Illinois General Assembly. He did not run for re-election in 1840, but was honored by the Democratic Party as one of its six proposed presidential electors for the
1840 United States presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States from October 30 to December 2, 1840. In the shadow of an incomplete economic recovery from the Panic of 1837, Whig nominee William Henry Harrison defeated incumbent President Martin Van Bure ...
;
Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he served as New York's attorney general and U.S. senator, the ...
lost the election but won the state of Illinois, enabling Walker to cast his electoral vote. Notably,
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
was a candidate on the defeated Illinois Whig Party electoral slate. During 1840, Walker was attacked by another future-Milwaukeean, the infamously foul-tempered
Edward George Ryan Edward George Ryan (November 13, 1810October 19, 1880) was an Irish American immigrant, lawyer, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 5th chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court; he was initially appointed by Democratic governor William Robert ...
. Ryan circulated a handbill attacking Walker's character. Walker responded suggesting that this was a personal dispute over Walker's vote on the impeachment of judge John Pearson. When Samuel McRoberts was elected in 1841, he transferred his entire legal practice to Walker.


Wisconsin career

In December 1841, Walker moved north to the
Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...
, following his brother, George H. Walker, who had founded a settlement that became part of the city of
Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
a few years later. Walker brought his legal practice to Milwaukee, and quickly became one of the most active lawyers in the territory. He continued his political activities in Wisconsin and gave particular attention to the Wisconsin Territory's large recent-immigrant community, pushing for including non-citizens as eligible electors in the territory's votes on statehood and constitutional convention delegates. In the fall of 1846, he was elected probate judge for
Milwaukee County Milwaukee County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, containing about 1 ...
. That winter, he also campaigned and advocated extensively for the adoption of the first constitution of Wisconsin, but that document was rejected by voters. After the referendum, Walker was elected to represent Milwaukee County in the House of Representatives of the
Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...
at the special session of the 5th Wisconsin Territorial Assembly. He was chosen as speaker for that session, which passed a number of acts to set another constitutional convention and prepare another legislative session in early 1848. Voters ratified the
Constitution of Wisconsin The Constitution of the State of Wisconsin is the governing document of the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It establishes the structure and function of state government, describes the state boundaries, and declares the rights of state citizens. The ...
produced by the second constitutional convention in 1848, and Wisconsin was admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848.


U.S. Senate

One of the first duties of the
1st Wisconsin Legislature The First Wisconsin Legislature convened from June 5, 1848, to August 21, 1848, in regular session. Members of the Assembly and Senate were elected after an election on February 1, 1848, that ratified the proposed state constitution. Wisconsi ...
was electing two senators to represent Wisconsin in the . Democrats held large majorities in both chambers, so would have little difficulty electing Democratic senators. In a caucus of the Democratic legislators, they selected Walker and former governor
Henry Dodge Moses Henry Dodge (October 12, 1782 – June 19, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was Democratic member to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Bla ...
as their nominees for Walker was described as a more progressive Democrat, whereas Dodge represented more conservative constituencies. The legislature met in joint session the following day, on June 8, 1848, and elected Walker and Dodge. Walker drew the short straw between the two, and became a member of , with his initial term expiring in March 1849. Walker's arrival in the Senate coincided with a significant moment in the saga of American slavery and the quest for its abolition, namely the end of the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
and the introduction of a vast new territory to the country. Walker, like many northern Democrats of his era, was personally opposed to slavery, but would frequently compromise for political reasons with his southern colleagues. A key issue at the time was the
Wilmot Proviso The Wilmot Proviso was an unsuccessful 1846 proposal in the United States Congress to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican–American War. The conflict over the Wilmot Proviso was one of the major events leading to the ...
, which proposed to prohibit the expansion of slavery into newly-acquired territories. The issue resulted in a schism in the Democratic Party, when Democrats nominated
Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was a United States Army officer and politician. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He was also the 1 ...
and
William O. Butler William Orlando Butler (April 19, 1791 – August 6, 1880) was an American politician and U.S. Army major general from Kentucky. He served as a Democratic representative from Kentucky from 1839 to 1843, and was the Democratic vice-presidentia ...
for president and vice president; Cass and Butler had both opposed the Wilmot Proviso. The schism was led by former president , who led his "barnburners" to found the
Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party, also called the Free Democratic Party or the Free Democracy, was a political party in the United States from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. The party was focused o ...
. Walker remained loyal to the Democratic ticket, and campaigned extensively for Cass; he also wrote a letter explaining his views to Wisconsin Free Soil Party leader
Warren Chase Warren Chase (January 5, 1813 – February 25, 1891) was an American pioneer, farmer, reformer and politician. He served in the state senates of Wisconsin and California, and was a candidate for Governor of Wisconsin in the election of 1849. ...
, which was frequently cited over the subsequent years. Cass lost the presidential election however, defeated by Whig
Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...
. Despite the schism, Democrats still held an outright majority in the
2nd Wisconsin Legislature The Second Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 10, 1849, to April 2, 1849, in regular session. Senators representing odd numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Senato ...
, and nominated Walker for re-election to the Walker received all but six of the Democratic votes in the election, and won a full six-year term as senator. Shortly after the start of his next term, he faced another critical moment in the slavery debate, when he proposed a compromise to enable the organization of the entire
Mexican Cession The Mexican Cession () is the region in the modern-day Western United States that Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United S ...
as a territory governed by the President without restrictions on the expansion of slavery. Many Wisconsin Democrats, including partisan newspapers that had endorsed Walker's election, were outraged by his position; the Wisconsin Legislature, with many Democratic votes in favor, then took the extraordinary step of passing a joint resolution explicitly calling for Walker's resignation. Walker reacted indignantly, explaining that his attempt to find a compromise to organize the territory was due to his fear that without reaching a compromise, the territory of California would attempt to become a separate country hostile to the United States. Walker then appeared at the 1849 Democratic state convention in Wisconsin, and attempted to justify his actions, but his reaction further alienated his former allies, and he was essentially disowned by the state Democratic Party. Ultimately, the Congress agreed on a different compromise to organize the western territory, California was admitted to the Union as a free state. During the work to pass that compromise, Walker briefly upset the proceedings by proposing a one-sentence amendment to ban peon slavery, a form of unfree labor among Native American workers in California and New Mexico. The compromise temporarily relieved some of the tension over the slavery issue, and Walker subsequently recovered some of his support such that, in 1851, the
4th Wisconsin Legislature The Fourth Wisconsin Legislature convened in regular session from January 8, 1851, to March 17, 1851. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and served the first year of a two-year term. Assembly memb ...
voted to rescind their previous request for his resignation. During 1850, Walker also gave an impassioned and persuasive speech on the subject of
land reform Land reform (also known as agrarian reform) involves the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership, land use, and land transfers. The reforms may be initiated by governments, by interested groups, or by revolution. Lan ...
that earned him significant populist attention. This stand briefly earned him the attention of
Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was an American political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society. It became the main local ...
party leaders, who floated his name as a potential presidential candidate in 1852. In the fall of 1850, the ''
New-York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' (from 1914: ''New York Tribune'') was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s ...
'' wrote up a list of potential candidates for 1852, describing Walker as the candidate of the "Young Democracy". Ongoing ambivalence toward Walker in his home state doomed that effort, however. In the Senate, Walker was also an advocate for a more aggressive and interventionist American foreign policy, saying that the U.S. had outgrown the need for what he described as the timid neutrality of the early republic. He spoke on behalf of exiled Hungarian governor-president
Lajos Kossuth Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva (; ; ; ; 19 September 1802 – 20 March 1894) was a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, politician, statesman and governor-president of the Kingdom of Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, r ...
during his visit to the United States in 1852, and used that occasion to advocate for America to support nascent democratic movements in Europe against existing European monarchies and empires. Although his political career was essentially ended by his earlier slavery compromise, near the end of his Senate term, Walker did vote with the anti-slavery position on the pivotal
Kansas–Nebraska Act The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 () was a territorial organic act that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. It was drafted by Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas, passed by the 33rd United States Congress, and signed into law b ...
in 1854. He also remained an outspoken advocate for his land reform proposals, coming close to passing a version of his plan in 1854; his proposals ultimately became law after he left office with the
Homestead Act of 1862 The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. In all, more than of public land, or nearly 10 percent of t ...
.


Later years

While serving in the Senate, Walker had purchased a large farm estate in the town of
Eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
, in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, where he spent a great deal of time immediately after leaving office. Walker was induced to return to politics less than a year later; in the fall of 1855, there was a schism in the Democratic Party of Waukesha County, with the seceding group seeking to nominate Walker as their candidate for
Wisconsin Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those ...
in the 10th Senate district. Walker initially refused the nomination, in favor of the regularly-nominated Democratic candidate Edward Gernon, but later accepted the nomination citing what he described as massive corruption in state government. With a Republican candidate, , also on the ballot, Walker received about 36% of the vote. Gernon prevailed with about 40%. Although he lost the election, Walker was later recognized as one of the Democrats who blew the whistle on the massive railroad land grant corruption scheme that would blow up into public awareness less than a year later. After the 1855 election, Walker largely retired from politics, and spent much of the rest of his life devoted to his legal practice. As a lawyer, Walker was known as a skilled and persuasive trial attorney, and an expert in
patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...
law. He briefly returned to politics in 1859 to campaign against the Democratic gubernatorial nominee,
Harrison Carroll Hobart Harrison Carroll Hobart (January 31, 1815January 26, 1902) was an American lawyer, Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician, and Union Army officer during the American Civil War. He was the 2nd Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assemb ...
; Hobart had been speaker of the Assembly in 1849 when the Legislature passed the resolution calling for his resignation. In the 1860 election, Walker quietly supported
Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (né Douglass; April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. As a United States Senate, U.S. senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party (United States) ...
. 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 ...
, Walker was an enthusiastic supporter of the Union cause. He made several speeches early in the war calling for Union Army volunteers, and was a leader in the "Loyal Democrat" movement in the state. In the 1864 presidential election, Walker endorsed Lincoln's re-election.


Personal life and family

Isaac P. Walker was the second son and fourth of six children born to George Reynolds Walker and his wife Rebecca (' Hamer). Isaac's elder brother,
George H. Walker George H. Walker (October 22, 1811September 20, 1866) was an American trader, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was one of three key founders of the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, establishing the first settlement in what is now M ...
, came to the Wisconsin Territory in the 1830s and established a settlement at what is now the south side of the city of Milwaukee. The area is still referred to as . George H. Walker was also elected mayor of Milwaukee in 1851. Both of Walker's parents and one sister also eventually moved to Wisconsin. Isaac Walker married twice. His first wife, a Miss Yohn, died in 1841. Shortly after his first wife's death, he married Elizabeth Hastings Whitney on June 23, 1841. He had three children with his second wife, but only one survived to adulthood. Walker died of a stroke at the Newhall House hotel in Milwaukee, on March 29, 1872. He was buried at Milwaukee's historic
Forest Home Cemetery Forest Home Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery and arboretum located in the Lincoln Village, City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is the final resting place of many of the city's famed bee ...
.


Electoral history


U.S. Senate (1848, 1849)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", 1st Vote of the
1st Wisconsin Legislature The First Wisconsin Legislature convened from June 5, 1848, to August 21, 1848, in regular session. Members of the Assembly and Senate were elected after an election on February 1, 1848, that ratified the proposed state constitution. Wisconsi ...
, June 8, 1848 ''(top two)'' , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", 1st Vote of the
2nd Wisconsin Legislature The Second Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 10, 1849, to April 2, 1849, in regular session. Senators representing odd numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Senato ...
, January 17, 1849


Notes


References


External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Isaac P. 1815 births 1872 deaths Politicians from Wheeling, West Virginia Lawyers from Wheeling, West Virginia People from Danville, Illinois Illinois lawyers Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives 1840 United States presidential electors Lawyers from Milwaukee Politicians from Milwaukee People from Eagle, Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature Democratic Party United States senators from Wisconsin 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly 19th-century United States senators Wisconsin pioneers Burials at Forest Home Cemetery