John Williams Walker (August 12, 1783April 23, 1823) was an American politician, who served as the

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, the first senator elected by that state.

Life and career

Walker was born August 12, 1783, in

Amelia County, Virginia Amelia County is a county located just southwest of Richmond in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The county is located in Central Virginia and is included in the Greater Richmond Region. Its county seat is Amelia Court House. Am ...

, of Scots-Irish heritage, the son of Rev. Jeremiah Walker and Mary Jane Graves. He was educated at the prestigious Willington Academy of Dr. Moses Waddel near Petersburg, Georgia, and received degrees in 1806 and 1809 from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

. He studied law and was admitted to the bar at Petersburg. In 1808, Walker married Matilda Pope, daughter of

LeRoy Pope LeRoy Pope (January 30, 1765 – June 17, 1844) was an American planter, lawyer, and early settler of Madison County, Alabama. He purchased much of the land on which downtown Huntsville, Alabama, now stands, and for his role in the establishment ...

and Judith Sale, and in 1810, he followed his father-in-law to settle in the new town of

Huntsville Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S. The Huntsville metropolitan area had an estimated 525,465 ...

Mississippi Territory The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that was created under an organic act passed by the United States Congress, Congress of the United States. It was approved and signed into law by Presiden ...

(now

), and there began the practice of law. Upon the formation of the

Alabama Territory The Territory of Alabama (sometimes Alabama Territory) was an organized incorporated territory of the United States. The Alabama Territory was carved from the Mississippi Territory on August 15, 1817 and lasted until December 14, 1819, when i ...

in 1817, Walker served as a representative from Madison County to the first territorial legislature in 1818. In the second session, he served as

speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

. In 1819, he was president of the convention that framed Alabama's first constitution, which enabled Alabama's admission to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. On October 28, 1819, Walker was elected by an almost unanimous vote of the state legislature as the first United States senator from Alabama. He served from December 14, 1819, until his resignation on December 12, 1822, on account of his failing health. He died in Huntsville on April 23, 1823, and is buried in Maple Hill Cemetery.

Walker County, Alabama Walker County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama."ACES Walker County Office" (links/history), Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), 2007, webpageACES-Walker As of the 2020 census, the population wa ...

, established December 20, 1824, is named in his honor.

Family

Walker was the father of

Confederate States Secretary of War The Confederate States secretary of war was a member of President of the Confederate States of America, President Jefferson Davis's Cabinet of the Confederate States of America, cabinet during the American Civil War. The Secretary of War was head ...

and Brigadier General

LeRoy Pope Walker LeRoy Pope Walker (February 7, 1817 – August 23, 1884) was the first Confederate States Secretary of War. Early life and career Walker was born near Huntsville, Alabama in 1817, the son of John Williams Walker and Matilda Pope, and a gran ...

, Confederate Senator

Richard Wilde Walker Richard Wilde Walker (February 16, 1823 – June 16, 1874) was an American politician. Biography Walker was born in Huntsville, Alabama in 1823. He was the son of John Williams Walker, the brother of Percy Walker and LeRoy Pope Walker, an ...

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Percy Walker Percy Walker (1812–1880) was an American politician from Huntsville, Alabama. He was graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia in 1835. He began practicing medicine in Mobile, Alabama. He served ...

and several other children. He was also the grandfather of

Alabama Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the state of Alabama. The court consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Each justice is elected in partisan elections for staggered six-year terms. The Supreme Court is hous ...

Justice and 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Federal Judge

Richard Wilde Walker, Jr. Richard Wilde Walker Jr. (March 11, 1857 – April 10, 1936) was an associate justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and a United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Educati ...

and American diplomat

Walker Fearn John Williams Walker Fearn (January 13, 1832 – April 7, 1899) was an American diplomat. Early life Fearn, born in Huntsville, Alabama, was an 1851 graduate of Yale University. He was the nephew of LeRoy Pope Walker, the first Secretary of War ...

, who served as Minister to

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

form 1885 to 1889,

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

from 1885 to 1899 and

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

from 1885 to 1889.

Notes

References

* Owen, Thomas McAdory, ''History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography''. Vol. IV. Chicago: S. J. Clarke, 1921. Reprinted with an introduction by Milo B. Howard, Jr. Spartanburg, SC: Reprint Company, 1978. * Alabama Territory
''Journal of the House of Representatives of the Alabama Territory'', First Session, First General Assembly, February 1818
St. Stephens, Alabama Territory: Thomas Eastin, 1818. Full text online at website o
Alabama Legislature
* Alabama Territory

St. Stephens, Alabama Territory: Thomas Eastin, 1818. Full text online at website o
Alabama Legislature
* State of Alabama

Cahawba, Alabama: State Press, 1820. Full text online at website o
Alabama Legislature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, John Williams 1783 births 1823 deaths Princeton University alumni Members of the Alabama Territorial Legislature Alabama lawyers Politicians from Huntsville, Alabama Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from Alabama Walker family Lawyers from Huntsville, Alabama 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century United States senators