John Russell Walter (23 June 1863 – 27 June 1944) was an Australian farmer and politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1903 to 1904, representing the seat of Nelson. Walter was born in

Bishop's Hull Bishop's Hull is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in the western suburbs of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. It includes the areas of Rumwell, Rumwell Park, Roughmoor and Longaller and is close to the ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England. In February 1881, at 17 years of age, he entered into the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, where, like his brother William, he competed in bicycle races as a member of the

Oxford University Cycling Club Oxford University Cycling Club (O.U.C.C.) is a cycling club for students and associated members of the University of Oxford. Via earlier incarnations, the Dark Blue Bicycle Club (D.B.B.C.) and the Oxford University Bicycle Club (O.U.Bi.C.), it ha ...

. After leaving school, he lived in Canada for a period, spending two years at the

Ontario Agricultural College The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affili ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

.John Russell Walter
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 15 May 2016. He migrated to Western Australia in 1887,"INTERESTING HISTORY OF BRIDGETOWN PIONEERS"
– ''The Blackwood Times'' (

Bunbury, Western Australia Bunbury is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's third most populous city after Perth and Mandurah, with a population of approximately 75,000. Located at ...

), 31 December 1953. joining his older brother, William Ardagh Gardner Walter (later a well-known magistrate). After a few months near

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West region of the state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destination for Western Australians; however, the closure of the Busselton ...

, Walter acquired a property near

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Island ...

, where he farmed sheep. He was elected to the Nelson Road Board in 1901, and served until 1909, including as chairman for several periods. Following the death of Sir James Lee-Steere in December 1903, Walter nominated for his vacant seat of Nelson, and was elected unopposed. Once in parliament, he sat as a Ministerialist (an opponent of the government of

Walter James Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

)."W.A. PARLIAMENT."
– ''

Kalgoorlie Miner ''The Kalgoorlie Miner'' (commonly known as ''The Miner'') is a daily newspaper circulating in the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and the Goldfields-Esperance region, in Western Australia. It is published Monday to Saturday by Hocking & Co. Pty L ...

'', 16 December 1903. However, Walter's time in parliament was short-lived, as he did not nominate for the 1904 state election. He recontested Nelson at the 1905 election, but was unsuccessful in regaining his seat, losing to his successor,

Charles Layman Charles Henry Layman (4 June 1865 – 23 March 1926) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1904 to 1914, representing the seat of Nelson. Layman was born in Wonnerup (a rural loca ...

. After leaving parliament, Walter remained active in local affairs in Bridgetown, serving as a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and as president of the local agricultural society. He died in June 1944, aged 81.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walter, John 1863 births 1944 deaths Australian Anglicans British emigrants to colonial Australia British expatriates in Canada Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Ontario Agricultural College alumni People from Taunton Deane (district) People educated at Christian Brothers' College, Perth Western Australian local councillors