Freeman Walker (October 25, 1780September 23, 1827) was a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Born in

Charles City, Virginia Charles City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Charles City County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Charles City County. The population as of the 2020 census was 104. The community is centered on the Charles City County Cou ...

, he attended the common schools; in 1797, he moved to

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

. Walker studied law, and was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1803, commencing practice in Augusta. He was a member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...

from 1807 to 1811, and was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Augusta in 1818 and 1819. He was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

to the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Forsyth, serving from November 6, 1819, to August 6, 1821, when he resigned. He was again mayor of Augusta in 1823. Walker died in Augusta in 1827; interment was in the Walker family cemetery. Freeman Walker's son was Confederate major general

William H.T. Walker William Henry Talbot Walker (November 26, 1816 – July 22, 1864) was an American soldier. He was a career United States Army officer who fought with distinction during the Mexican-American War, and also served as a Confederate States Army, ...

, who served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Popular culture

"Freeman Walker" is a 2008 novel by

David Allan Cates David Allan Cates (born 1956), in Madison, Wisconsin, is an American novelist and poet, and the executive director of Missoula Medical Aid. His work has appeared in a number of publications which include ''The Sun'', ''Outside Magazine'', ''The M ...

, and is also the name of the title character. There is no connection between this fictional character and the historical Walker, though the story is set in the South in the 19th century, and the use of the same name may have been a coincidence.

Legacy

Walker County, Georgia Walker County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,654, down from 68,756 in 2010. The county seat is LaFayette. The county was created on December 18, 1833, fr ...

, was named for Senator Walker.

References

External links

1780 births 1827 deaths People from Charles City County, Virginia Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Members of the Georgia House of Representatives Mayors of Augusta, Georgia United States senators from Georgia (U.S. state) Walker County, Georgia Democratic-Republican Party United States senators Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic-Republicans 19th-century American politicians American slave owners American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers {{GeorgiaUS-mayor-stub United States senators who owned slaves