David S. Walker

David S. Walker

David Shelby Walker (born May 2, 1815 in Russellville , Logan County , Kentucky , † July 20, 1891 in Tallahassee , Florida ) was an American lawyer and politician and from 1865 to 1868 the eighth governor of the state of Florida.

Early years and political advancement

David Walker grew up in Kentucky and attended elementary schools there. He moved to Florida in 1837, studied law, and practiced law in Leon County . Walker has been politically active since 1845, the year Florida became an official state of the United States. At that time he was in the Senate elected the state. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1848 to 1849 . Between 1849 and 1854 he was entrusted with the administration of the state land in Florida. From 1851 to 1859 he was the state's school minister. In this capacity he was very committed to the expansion of the free public schools. He was also mayor of Tallahassee for a while, and Florida Supreme Court Justice from 1858 to 1865 . In 1856 he unsuccessfully applied for the office of governor. In the run-up to the civil war , he was an opponent of secession . But when Florida decided to take this step, he submitted to the majority.

Florida governor

In late 1865 he was elected the eighth governor of the state under the new constitution and was confirmed in office by President Andrew Johnson . This confirmation was necessary because Florida was still under occupation law. His term of office lasted until July 4, 1868. As governor he had a difficult time. He tried to build a new civil administration. His administration suffered from the conflict between the radical Republicans and President Johnson in distant Washington , who could not agree on the Florida question either. Thus his powers were controversial and the actual power in Florida was at least temporarily in the hands of the military. Even so, Walker was successful in the field of schooling. He managed to revive the public school system. Towards the end of his tenure in 1868, a new constitution for Florida was passed, which later also received general approval from the US authorities. Harrison Reed was elected governor under the terms of this new constitution . With his inauguration on July 4, 1868, Walker's tenure ended.

Another résumé

After retiring from governor's office, Walker returned to practice as a lawyer. In 1878 he was appointed as a judge in a Florida district court. He held this office until his death in 1891.

Web links

• David Walker in the National Governors Association (English)
• Florida Governors' Portraits (English)

• David S. Walker in the database of Find a Grave (English)