Aldace Freeman Walker (May 11, 1842 – April 12, 1901) was one of the original members of the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminat ...

(ICC) when the organization was founded in 1887. Walker soon became the thirteenth president of the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

(Santa Fe).

Youth and military service

Aldace Walker was born on May 11, 1842, in West Rutland, Vermont, the son of Aldace Walker, D. D. and Mary A. Baker. He attended

Kimball Union Academy Kimball Union Academy is a private boarding school located in New Hampshire. Founded in 1813, it is the 22nd oldest boarding school in the United States. The academy's mission is to "create a deep sense of belonging for every member of our commu ...

Meriden, New Hampshire Meriden is an unincorporated community in the eastern part of the town of Plainfield in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. Meriden is home to Kimball Union Academy, a private boarding school. New Hampshire Route 120 passes through the ...

, and then

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

where he graduated in 1862. His professional career started with military service as he enlisted with the

11th Vermont Infantry The 11th Vermont Infantry Regiment was a three-years infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in eastern theater, from September 1862 to August 1865. It served in the XXII Corps (ACW), XXII Corps in the defenses ...

for service in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Walker was promoted through the ranks to become a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

before he was mustered out in June 1865. In 1869 he published a book of his experience in the war titled ''The Vermont Brigade in the Shenandoah Valley''.

Transportation leadership

After the war, Walker studied law and began his practice in

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 1867. There he joined Strong & Shepard, owned by

Theron R. Strong Theron Rudd Strong (November 7, 1802 Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut – May 14, 1873) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. From 1839 to 1841, he served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Life He studied law a ...

and

Elliott Fitch Shepard Elliott Fitch Shepard (July 25, 1833 – March 24, 1893) was a New York lawyer, banker, and owner of the '' Mail and Express'' newspaper, as well as a founder and president of the New York State Bar Association. Shepard was married to Marg ...

. At first he was the firm's managing clerk, and became a partner and lawyer there in 1870. For the next seven years, he worked on many cases involving rail transport, including the land appropriation for the Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railway which would connect the

Hudson River Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mid ...

and the

New York and Harlem Railroad The New York and Harlem Railroad (now the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line) was one of the first railroads in the United States, and was the world's first street railway. Designed by John Stephenson, it was opened in stages between 1832 and ...

. When the senior partner in Walker's firm died, the practice was broken up and Walker moved to

Rutland, Vermont Rutland, Vermont may refer to: *Rutland (city), Vermont * Rutland (town), Vermont *Rutland County, Vermont *West Rutland, Vermont West Rutland is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. The t ...

, where he joined the practice of Prout, Simons & Walker. In this position too, Walker worked on cases that involved local railroads including the Rutland Railroad, Delaware and Hudson Canal Company,

Vermont and Canada Railroad The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Conne ...

Vermont Central Railroad The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Conne ...

and others until he left the firm to become a member of the

(ICC) in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In 1889 he resigned his position at the ICC to become the chairman of the Interstate Commerce Railway Association, and later the same role for the Western Traffic Association. Walker assumed the Santa Fe's presidency when

Joseph Reinhart Joseph W. Reinhart (1851–1911) was an American businessman who served as the twelfth president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. He was head of the Santa Fe from December 1893 until August 1894. Biography Early years Joseph W. Rein ...

resigned on August 8, 1894. When the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad (A&P) filed for bankruptcy, Walker and John J. McCook, another executive with the Santa Fe, were appointed as the A&P's receivers in December 1895. At this time, Walker stepped down from the Santa Fe's presidency, but remained on the Board of Directors as Chairman.

References

* Retrieved August 2, 2005. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Aldace F. 1842 births 1901 deaths Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway presidents People of Vermont in the American Civil War People of the Interstate Commerce Commission Vermont Brigade 19th-century American businesspeople