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Walker, Thomas Calhoun

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1862-1953

Biography

Thomas Calhoun Walker was born into slavery on June 16, 1862 at Spring Hill in Gloucester County, Virginia. When he was 10, Walker began to do odd jobs to help support his family and later attended Hampton Institue in Hampton, Virginia. In 1883, Walker began to study the law and was adimitted to the Virginia Bar in 1887. In 1891, at the age of 29, he was elected to the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors, and in 1896, was appointed as the first African American Collector of Customs by President William McKinley. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Walker as advisor and consultant of Negro Affairs for the New Deal's Emergency Relief Administration. A champion for education, Walker became the superintendent of Gloucester Negro Schools and donated money to help build schools for African Americans in Gloucester. As a lawyer, he defended many African Americans. He died in Gloucester County in 1953. Source: BlackPast.org.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Thomas Calhoun Walker Autobiography

 Collection
Identifier: Mss. Acc. 2015.043
Scope and Contents Typed carbon copy autobiography of Lawyer Walker of Gloucester, entitled "Lawyer Walker of Gloucester (as told to two Northern friends)." There is a dedication page to Walker's wife. Carbon version used for the autobiography "The Honey-Pod Tree: The Life Story of Thomas Calhoun Walker," which was published in 1958. Includes a photograph and sheet music for "De Ole Sheep Done Know de Road." As a lawyer, he defended many African Americans in Gloucester County, Virginia, and eventually served...
Dates: undated
Found in: Special Collections Research Center