Abraham Beverley Walker (23 August 1851 – 21 April 1909) was a

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

-born lawyer and journalist. He was the first black lawyer in New Brunswick, the second black lawyer in Canada, and the first black lawyer born in the current boundaries of Canada (

Robert Sutherland Robert Sutherland (1830–1878), a native of Jamaica, was the first known graduate of colour at a Canadian university, and the first Black man to study law in British North America.Queens UniversityQueensU.ca "Alumni." Retrieved on: 2009-05-30 ...

having been born in Jamaica, whrn Walker was born New Brunswick was part of British North America but Canada at the time only covered parts of modern Quebec and Ontario).

Early life and education

Walker, who was of

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

ancestry, was a farmer's son in the Kingston peninsula area. His family had settled there in 1786, placing them in the first group of black settlers on the peninsula, which is upriver from Saint John. Walker grew up in a large family in the rural community of Kars, and attended the one-room schoolhouse there. He learned shorthand from an Anglican preacher in Kingston. Walker studied law at the National University Law School in Washington, DC, and later took law courses at Saint John Law School.Bissett, Kevin. "Canadian-born Black lawyer honoured a century after death"., ''Toronto Star'', October 28, 2019. page A7.

Career

In 1882, Walker was called to the bar. He opened a law practice in Saint John. After suffering numerous setbacks in his career as a lawyer and painful racial snubs at many levels, he was admitted as a solicitor to the

Supreme Court of New Brunswick The Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick (in French: ''Cour du Banc du Roi du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the superior trial court of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Structure The Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick consists of a C ...

. In 1892, when the Saint John Law School opened, he was the first non-white student. Walker was promised a Queen's and King's Counsel appointment several times, but racist objections prevented it. Despite this, he emerged as the leader of his racial group in the Maritimes and pursued work in civil rights. He lectured throughout North America in support of this cause."Ground-breaking Canadian black lawyer Abraham Beverley Walker to be honoured finally in New Brunswick"
''The Globe and Mail'', Kevin Bissett, October 27, 2019 In 1903 and 1904, Walker published a magazine called ''Neith'', focusing on race issues, history, philosophy, literature, and art, making him the first black New Brunswick publisher. In 2019, Walker was successfully nominated to receive the

Order of New Brunswick The Order of New Brunswick (french: Ordre du Nouveau Brunswick) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Instituted in 2000 by Lieutenant Governor Marilyn Trenholme Counsell, on the advice of the Cabinet under Prem ...

"for his inspiring achievements as Canada's first black lawyer admitted to the bar and for his commitment to civil rights in New Brunswick and across North America."

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Abraham Beverley 1851 births 1909 deaths Canadian magazine journalists Canadian civil rights lawyers Black Canadian activists Black Canadian lawyers Lawyers in New Brunswick Black Canadian writers Black Canadian journalists