Walter Walker (politician)
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Walter Walker (April 3, 1883October 8, 1956) was a newspaper owner and editor in
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
who briefly served as Democratic
United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
in late 1932 after being appointed to fill a vacancy pending a special election. A native of Marion, Kentucky, Walker was educated in the schools of Marion and moved to Colorado as a young man. He became a resident of Grand Junction, where he began a career in the newspaper business. He became an editor of the Grand Junction ''Daily Sentinel'', and eventually became the paper's owner. When the Ku Klux Klan was revived in the 1920s, Walker became a member. He later came out in opposition to the Klan, which led to members of the group attacking him in the street, but Walker refused to end his anti-Klan activities. Active in the Democratic Party, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1924,
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...
, and
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hiro ...
. From 1930 to 1932, he served as chairman of Colorado's Democratic state committee. In September 1932, Colorado's governor appointed Walker to fill a vacancy in the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...
. He ran in the
special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
to complete the term, but was defeated by
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
nominee Karl C. Schuyler, who was sworn in to office in December. He continued to own and publish the ''Daily Sentinel'' and was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1936,
1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * Januar ...
,
1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...
, 1948, and
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
. In 1936, he was a
presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...
for the ticket of
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
and John Nance Garner. Walker died in Grand Junction on October 8, 1956. He was buried in Grand Junction's Orchard Mesa Cemetery.


Early life

Walker was born in Marion, Kentucky on April 3, 1883. The son of Robert C. Walker, the owner of the ''Crittenden Press'' newspaper, Walter Walker was educated locally, and then moved to
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
in 1903. After settling in Grand Junction, Walker worked in the newspaper business, eventually becoming editor, manager, and chief owner of the Grand Junction ''Daily Sentinel''. Walker's staff included
Dalton Trumbo James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter who scripted many award-winning films, including ''Roman Holiday'' (1953), ''Exodus'', ''Spartacus'' (both 1960), and ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944) ...
, whom Walker hired as a reporter in 1920, and employed for four years. In addition to running the newspaper, Walker was a civic activist, and his efforts included management of Grand Junction's successful
lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the t ...
.


Political career

During the 1920s revival of the Ku Klux Klan, Walker was an early member. He subsequently turned against the group, and published editorials in opposition. In September 1925, several local Klan leaders including a deputy sheriff and a police officer assaulted Walker as he walked from a barber shop to his newspaper office. Others on the street eventually intervened, and before leaving to seek medical aid Walker informed the Klan members that physical intimidation would not prevent him from continuing his anti-Klan campaign. In 1924,
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...
, and
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hiro ...
, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. From 1930 to 1932 he served as chairman of Colorado's Democratic state committee. On September 26, 1932, Walker was appointed to the U.S. Senate, temporarily filling the vacancy caused by the death of Charles W. Waterman. He ran in the
special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
for the remainder of the term, but was defeated by
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Karl C. Schuyler. Walker served until December 6, 1932, when Schuyler was sworn in.


Later career

Walker resumed his work in the newspaper business following the completion of his Senate service. In 1936, he was again a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Later that year, he was a
presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...
for the ticket of
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
and John Nance Garner. In 1940,
1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...
, 1948, and
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
, he was again a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.


Death and burial

Walker died in Grand Junction on October 8, 1956. He was interred at Orchard Mesa Cemetery in Grand Junction.


Family

In November 1903, Walker married Kathie Wood (1882–1971) of Kentucky. They were the parents of a son, Preston (1912–1970).


Legacy

Several
Colorado Mesa University Colorado Mesa University is a public university in Grand Junction, Colorado. The university's other locations include Bishop Campus, which houses Western Colorado Community College in northwestern Grand Junction, and a regional campus in Mon ...
facilities are named for Walter Walker, including the soccer field and the reception area at the Moss Performing Arts Center. In recognition of his advocacy for air service to Grand Junction in the early days of commercial aviation, the Grand Junction Regional Airport was named for Walker from 1942 until its 2007 expansion. The airport's terminal, fire station, and Walker Boulevard are all named in his honor. The Walter Walker State Wildlife Area near Grand Junction is also named for Walker. In 2008, statues of Walter Walker and his son Preston were installed at 634 Main Street in Grand Junction as part of the Legends of the Grand Valley project created by several local organizations.


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* * (Short biography) {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Walter 1883 births 1956 deaths Colorado Democrats Democratic Party United States senators from Colorado People from Marion, Kentucky 20th-century American politicians