William Adams Walker (June 5, 1805 – December 18, 1861) was an American educator and politician who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from New York from 1853 to 1855.

Biography

Born in

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...

,C. W. Brewster & Sons, publisher
The Portsmouth Jubilee: The Reception of the Sons of Portsmouth Resident Abroad, July 4, 1853
1853, pages 14, 28, 44, 78 Walker attended the common schools and

Northampton Law School Northampton Law School (sometimes called the Howe and Mills Law School) was a school for legal education and was located in Northampton, Massachusetts. Though open for only a few years in the 1820s, it produced several prominent alumni, including P ...

. He 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 ...

but never engaged in the practice of law.

Early career

He moved to New York City in 1832. He was appointed principal of a public school in New York City, and became county superintendent of common schools from 1843 to 1847. He served as member of the board of aldermen in 1846, but was defeated for reelection in 1847. He served as commissioner of jurors until elected to Congress.

Congress

Walker was elected 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 ...

to the Thirty-third Congress (March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855). He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1854.

Later career and death

In 1857, he ran but lost for board of aldermen. He died in

Irvington, New York Irvington, sometimes known as Irvington-on-Hudson,Staff (ndg"The Irvington Gazette (Irvington-On-Hudson, N.Y.) 1907-1969"Library of Congress is a suburban village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is loca ...

, December 18, 1861. He was interred in

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is the final resting place of numerous famous figures, including Washington Irving, whose 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is set in the adjacent burying ground at the Old Dutch C ...

Tarrytown, New York Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North ...

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, William Adams 1805 births 1861 deaths Northampton Law School alumni Burials at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Politicians from Portsmouth, New Hampshire Politicians from New York City Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians