David Shelby Walker (May 2, 1815 – July 20, 1891) was the eighth Governor of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, serving from 1866 to 1868.

Early life and career

Walker was born near Russelville in

Logan County, Kentucky Logan County is a county in the southwest Pennyroyal Plateau area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,432. Its county seat is Russellville. History The county is named for Benjamin Logan, who had ...

. He attended private schools in

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and

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and studied law. He moved to Florida in 1837, settling in Leon County. His father was David Walker, a prominent early Kentucky politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives. David S. Walker was a cousin and close business and political confidante of Florida territorial governor Richard K. Call. He was also related to Florida Senator

Wilkinson Call Wilkinson Call (January 9, 1834August 24, 1910) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Florida in the United States Senate from 1879 to 1897. Biography Wilkinson Call, nephew of Territorial Governor of Florida Richard K. Call a ...

, who was Walker's law partner for several years in the 1850s and 1860s in Tallahassee. Walker entered politics as a Whig, and was elected to the first session of the

Florida State 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 ...

in 1845, serving Wakulla and Leon Counties as senator. In 1848, he was elected by Leon County to the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

. In 1849 he was appointed Register of Public Lands and was ''ex officio'' State Superintendent of Public Instruction, positions he held until 1854. He advocated and promoted interest in public schools. His efforts resulted in the creation of public schools in

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

. He served as Mayor of Tallahassee. He was the

Know Nothing The Know Nothing party was a nativist political party and movement in the United States in the mid-1850s. The party was officially known as the "Native American Party" prior to 1855 and thereafter, it was simply known as the "American Party". ...

gubernatorial candidate in 1856 but lost to Democrat Madison S. Perry by 2.6 points. In 1859, he became a

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...

Justice. Walker is also known for establishing Tallahassee's first library in the mid-1800s through his private funds in a time where money was not allocated to libraries outside of urban areas, especially in a "rural" state.

Governorship

Prior to the Civil War, Walker was a Constitutional Unionist and so had opposed secession. However, when Florida seceded from the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

in 1861, he supported his state. Following the war, on November 29, 1865, Walker was elected governor unopposed, in an election in which newly freed slaves were not allowed to participate. He was inaugurated on December 20 and took office January 18, 1866. During his governorship, Florida transitioned from the federal oversight and military occupation of

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to readmission into the Union, but Walker was a conservative who attempted to minimize changes to the antebellum social, political, and economic system. He protested the election of the 1868 Constitutional Convention, which was convened to adopt a new government that the Republican

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

would approve, but ultimately supported the 1868 Constitution when it turned out to be less protective of blacks than originally anticipated. He did not run for reelection in the 1868 election, the first in which African American men could vote. After leaving the governor's office on July 4, 1868, he returned to practicing law. In 1878, he was appointed circuit court judge, a position he held until his death on July 20, 1891.

Legacy

Tallahassee's first public library is the David S. Walker Library.

References

Sources

Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida
*Morris, Allen and Joan Perry Morris, compilers. ''The Florida Handbook 2007–2008'' 31st Biennial Edition. Page 310
Peninsula Publishing
Tallahassee. 2007. Softcover Hardcover

External links