John Hardeman Walker (March 3, 1794 – April 30, 1860) was an early landowner in southeast

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, most famous for convincing the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

to place the Bootheel in

instead of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

. Walker was born in

Fayette County, Tennessee Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,990. Its county seat is Somerville. The county was named after the Marquis de la Fayette, French hero of the American Revolution. ...

. He moved to the Bootheel area in 1810 and settled at Little Prairie, near what is now known as Caruthersville in Pemiscot County. When many citizens of the area left after the

New Madrid earthquake New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

s of 1811–12, Walker maintained his cattle operation in the area and steadily increased his holdings. When Missouri was added to the Union, its original border proposal in 1818 was to be an extension of the 36°30' parallel north that formed the border between

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, which would have excluded the Bootheel. However, Walker argued that the area had more in common with the Mississippi River towns of

Cape Girardeau Cape Girardeau ( , ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540, making it the 17th-largest in the state. The city is one o ...

, Ste. Genevieve and

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

in Missouri than with its proposed location in

Arkansas Territory The Arkansas Territory was a organized incorporated territory of the United States, territory of the United States from July 4, 1819, to June 15, 1836, when the final extent of Arkansas Territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the ...

. The border was then dropped about 50 miles to the

36th parallel north Following are circles of latitude between the 35th parallel north and the 40th parallel north: 36th parallel north The 36th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 36 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, th ...

. It follows that parallel about 30 miles until it intersects the St. Francis River, then follows the river back up to about the 36°30' parallel just west of

Campbell, Missouri Campbell is a city in northern Dunklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,605 at the 2020 census. History Campbell was originally called Four Mile, and under the latter name settlement was made in 1844. The town site was p ...

. Walker served as sheriff of New Madrid County in 1821–22 and later served as a county court judge in Pemiscot County. After the 1851 formation of Pemiscot County from New Madrid County, Walker helped to lay out the town of Caruthersville in 1857 and died there in 1860.Google Books
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How Did ... Missouri Come To Include the "Bootheel"?
from Missouri's Office of the Secretary of State 1794 births 1860 deaths People from Fayette County, Tennessee People from New Madrid County, Missouri People from Caruthersville, Missouri Missouri sheriffs Missouri state court judges 19th-century Missouri state court judges 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1790s-stub