Robert Major Walker is a former mayor of

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 21,573 at the 2020 census. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vicksburg ...

. He was the first African American to hold the position and served two terms.

Early life and education

Walker was born in Vicksburg,

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

and attended

Jackson State University Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a Public university, public Historically Black colleges and universities, historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and ...

, where he earned a degree in mathematics and later received a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in political science from University of Mississippi. Before entering politics, he worked as an educator and administrator in the Vicksburg public school system.

Political career

Walker was elected as Vicksburg's mayor in 1988 during a special election, becoming the first African American to hold the office. He was elected to a full term in 1989 and was re-elected in 1992, serving until 2001. During his tenure, Walker advocated for the establishment of a monument honoring

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

soldiers who served in 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 ...

, which now stands in the

Vicksburg National Military Park Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi, flanking the Mississippi River, also commemorates the greater ...

Legacy

In 2019, the City of Vicksburg renamed its City Hall Annex as the Robert M. Walker Annex to honor his contributions to the city.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Robert Major African-American mayors in Mississippi Mayors of places in Mississippi People from Vicksburg, Mississippi Tougaloo College alumni Howard University alumni 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians Living people Year of birth missing (living people)

Early life and education

Political career

Legacy

See also

References