Samuel Walker (June 25, 1825 – June 9, 1881) was an American politician from Pennsylvania. He served as mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, in Florida's state legislature, as a Leon County Court judge, and as a U.S. Senator.

Formative years

Born in Londonderry township, Chester County, Pennsylvania on June 25, 1825, Walker was a son of John and Ann (McNeal) Walker. His family subsequently relocated to

Downingtown, Pennsylvania Downingtown is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 7,898. Downingtown was settled by European colonists in the early 18th century and has a number of historic buildings an ...

in 1836. In 1850, he entered Yale College in 1850, having previously received apprentice training as a wheelwright. After his graduation from Yale in 1854, he entered the service of the United States Coast Survey, and from 1859 to 1866 had charge of the Magnetic Observatory at

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

, Florida. Upon completion of his series of magnetic observations, he resigned on May 15, 1866, receiving high praise for his work from his superiors.

Public service career

Walker then studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1864, and opened a law practice. On June 18, 1866, he was appointed prosecuting attorney in the county criminal court in Key West. In 1867, he relocated to Tallahassee, where he remained for the rest of his life. Elected as a member of the

Florida Legislature The Florida Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. State of Florida. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of the Florida Cons ...

and mayor of Tallahassee, he was also later appointed by Florida's governor as judge of the Leon County Court. In 1874, he was the choice of the majority of the Republican members of the Legislature for the position of U.S. Senator.

Final years and death

During the autumn of 1876, Walker suffered a stroke of paralysis, and ailed from nervous debility thereafter. After retiring, he spent most of his time on a small plantation that he had purchased. In May 1881, he went North to visit his relatives, and arrived in Downington just a month before his death at the age of fifty-five, which occurred at his sister's house in that town on June 9, 1881. Walker was never married.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:walker, samuel 1825 births 1881 deaths Yale College alumni Politicians from Chester County, Pennsylvania United States Coast Survey personnel Florida state court judges Mayors of Tallahassee, Florida Members of the Florida House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges