William Henry Walker (January 1842 in Castlecomer,

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...

, Ireland – May 15, 1916 in Manhattan, New York City) was an American politician in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

Descended from a Roman Catholic family who had emigrated from Yorkshire in the late 1700s to Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland, Walker attended the public schools in Dublin. One brother, John (1832–1901) was an architect and had been arrested in England for his Fenian activities in 1869. In 1870, before the death of his parents, John Walker (1797-1879) and Anne Dooley Walker (1799-1873), he emigrated to the United States and settled in New York City. He started as a carpenter - cabinetmaker and became a contractor, builder, and owner of a lumberyard; and entered politics as a Democrat. He married Ellen Ida Roon (Oct 1857 – Aug 19, 1917), daughter of an Irish American New York politician, James E. Roon (1828 – Dec 7, 1890). He was a member of the

Board of Aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...

from 1887 to 1890; and a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

(New York Co., 9th D.) and

1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...

(New York Co., 8th D.). In 1902, he was appointed by Manhattan Borough President

Jacob A. Cantor Jacob Aaron Cantor (December 6, 1854 – July 2, 1921) was an American lawyer and politician from New York (state), New York who served as a United States representative from 1913 to 1915. Early life and education Cantor was born at 19 Secon ...

as Superintendent of Public Buildings. In 1907, he was removed from office by Borough President

John F. Ahearn John F. Ahearn (April 18, 1853 – December 19, 1920) was an American politician and publisher. A prominent New York City political figure and a member of the Tammany Hall political machine, he served in the New York State Assembly, the New York ...

, but was re-instated by order of the

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in 1909. He died on May 15, 1916, in the home which he built at 6 St. Luke's Place in Manhattan; and was buried in the Roon – Walker family plot at Calvary Cemetery in Queens. His children were Dr. William H. Walker Jr (1879–1946), New York Mayor James John "Jimmy" Walker (1881–1946), George Francis Walker (1883–1932), and Anna Gertrude "Nan" Walker (1886–1962) (who married Luke A. Burke Jr, engineer and building contractor, 1885–1925).

Sources

* "Castlecomer Connections, Exploring History Geography and Social Evolution in North Kilkenny Environs", by Tom Lyng, 1984, Wellbrook Press Ltd., Freshford, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. * 1880 U.S. Census for New York, page 2, Supervisor's District 1, Enumeration District 217. (Walker's age given as 38)
''New York State Legislative Souvenir for 1893''
by Henry P. Phelps (pg. 63f)
''AHEARN REMOVES 3 BUREAU HEADS''
in NYT on May 16, 1907
''WILLIAM H. WALKER DEAD''
in NYT on May 16, 1916 {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, William H 1842 births 1916 deaths New York City Council members People from Greenwich Village Politicians from County Kilkenny Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) 19th-century American politicians American people of English descent Irish people of English descent