Gilbert Carlton Walker (August 1, 1833 – May 11, 1885) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

political figure A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He served as the 36th

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

, first as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

provisional governor between 1869 and 1870, and again as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

elected governor from 1870 to 1874. He was the last Republican governor of Virginia until

Linwood Holton Abner Linwood Holton Jr. (September 21, 1923October 28, 2021) was an American politician and attorney. He served as the 61st governor of Virginia, from 1970 to 1974, and was the first elected Republican governor of Virginia of the 20th century. ...

took office in 1970.

Early and family life

Walker was born in

Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

on August 1, 1833, the son of Sabinus Walker and Matilda (Galloway) Walker. Walker's parents separated when he was young, and his mother married Donald Grant of

Chenango, New York Chenango is a town in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 10,983 at the 2020 census. The town is in the eastern part of the county, northeast of Binghamton. History The area was first settled ''circa'' 1787, and ...

. He attended academies in

Delaware, New York Delaware is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 2,670 at the 2010 census. The Town of Delaware is in the western part of the county. History The town was formed in 1869 from the Town of Cochecton. Geo ...

and

, then attended

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolit ...

from 1851 to 1852. In 1854, Walker received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

in Clinton, New York. While in college, he became a member of the

Sigma Phi The Sigma Phi Society () was founded on the Fourth of March in the year 1827, on the campus of Union College as a part of the Union Triad in Schenectady, New York. It is the second Greek fraternal organization founded in the United States.

fraternity, and he won the college's first prize for

declamation Declamation (from the Latin: ''declamatio'') is an artistic form of public speaking. It is a dramatic oration designed to express through articulation, emphasis and gesture the full sense of the text being conveyed. History In Ancient Rome, decla ...

during his junior year. He studied law with Judge Horace S. Griswold of Binghamton and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1855. In 1857 he received his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree from Hamilton.

Legal and business career

Walker practiced in

Owego, New York Owego is a town in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 18,728 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the Iroquois word ''Ahwaga'', meaning "where the valley widens". Owego is in the southeastern corner of the coun ...

, from 1855 to 1859 and in Chicago from 1859 to 1864. He moved to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, in 1864 and practiced law. Walker also became involved in finance, and served as president of Norfolk's Exchange National Bank. His other business ventures included serving on the board of directors of the American Fire Insurance Company of Norfolk. In 1866, he was an original incorporator of the Norfolk Insurance and Trust Company. Walker was also a director of the Atlantic Iron Works and Dock Company, and served as its president from 1866 to 1869. Walker was president of

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

's Granite Insurance Company from 1874 to 1878 and editor and publisher of the ''

Richmond Enquirer The ''Richmond Examiner'', a newspaper which was published before and during the American Civil War under the masthead of ''Daily Richmond Examiner'', was one of the newspapers published in the Confederate capital of Richmond. Its editors viewed ...

'' from 1874 to 1875.

Political career

Walker served as Governor of Virginia from 1869 to 1874. He also served as a Democrat in the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879). In the Forty-fourth Congress he was chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor. He did not stand for reelection in 1878.

Later years

Walker resettled in

, in 1879 and resumed his legal practice. He moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1881, where he continued practicing law. Walker remained active in business ventures, including serving as president of the New York Underground Railroad Company.

Death and burial

Walker died in New York City on May 11, 1885. He was buried at Spring Forest Cemetery in Binghamton.

Family

In 1857, Walker married Olive E. Evans of Binghamton.

Electoral history

*1869; Walker was elected Governor of Virginia with 54.15% of the vote, defeating fellow Republican Henry H. Wells. *1874; Walker was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 55.33% of the vote, defeating Republican Rush Bargess and Independent R.A. Paul. *1876; Walker was re-elected with 53.64% of the vote, defeating Republican Charles S. Mills.

Notes

References

External links

*
A Guide to the Governor Gilbert Carlton Walker Executive Papers, 1869-1873
a
The Library of Virginia
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Gilbert Carlton 1833 births 1885 deaths American bankers 19th-century American railroad executives Governors of Virginia Hamilton College (New York) alumni Illinois lawyers New York (state) lawyers Politicians from Chicago Politicians from New York City Virginia lawyers Williams College alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia Democratic Party governors of Virginia Virginia Republicans Republican Party governors of Virginia Lawyers from Chicago 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers