Amasa Walker
Encyclopedia
Amasa Walker was an American economist and United States Representative, and was the father of Francis Amasa Walker
.
, and attended the district school. In 1814 he entered commercial life, and in 1820 formed a partnership with Allen Newell in North Brookfield, but three years later withdrew to become the agent of the Methuen Manufacturing Company. In 1825 he formed with Charles G. Carleton the firm of Carleton and Walker, of Boston, but in 1827 he went into business independently.
He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
in 1836. In 1839, he became president of the Boston Temperance Society, the first total abstinence association in that city, and in 1839 he advocated a continuous railway between Boston and the Mississippi River
. He retired from commercial life in 1840.
In 1842–1848 he lectured on political economy
at Oberlin College
, in 1853–1860 he was an examiner on political economy at Harvard
, and in 1859–1869 lecturer on political economy at Amherst College
. The degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by Amherst in 1867.
He was a frequent contributor to periodical literature, especially on financial subjects. His principal work, Science of Wealth, a Manual of Political Economy, was published in 1866. Other works were Nature and Uses of Money and Mixed Currency (Boston, 1857) and, with William B. Calhoun and Charles L. Flint, Transactions of the Agricultural Societies of Massachusetts (7 vols., 1848–1854). In 1857 he began the publication of a series of articles on political economy in Hunt's Merchant's Magazine.
He was active in the anti-slavery movement, and in 1848 he was one of the founders of the Free Soil Party
. Walker served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
in 1849 and 1860, in the Massachusetts State Senate in 1850, as Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
1851–1853, and in the United States House of Representatives
1862–1863, where he was elected as a Republican
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Goldsmith Bailey
.
In 1853 he was chosen a member of the convention for revising the state constitution, becoming the chairman of the committee on suffrage. In 1860 he was chosen a member of the electoral college
of Massachusetts, and cast his ballot for Abraham Lincoln
.
Walker was a delegate to the first International Peace Congress
in London of 1843, and he served at the Paris Congress in 1849.
Walker died in North Brookfield on October 29, 1875. His interment was in Maple Street Cemetery.
Francis Amasa Walker
Francis Amasa Walker was an American economist, statistician, journalist, educator, academic administrator, and military officer in the Union Army. Walker was born into a prominent Boston family, the son of the economist and politician Amasa Walker, and he graduated from Amherst College at the age...
.
Biography
He moved with his parents to North Brookfield, MassachusettsNorth Brookfield, Massachusetts
North Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,680 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place North Brookfield, please see the article North Brookfield , Massachusetts.- History :North Brookfield...
, and attended the district school. In 1814 he entered commercial life, and in 1820 formed a partnership with Allen Newell in North Brookfield, but three years later withdrew to become the agent of the Methuen Manufacturing Company. In 1825 he formed with Charles G. Carleton the firm of Carleton and Walker, of Boston, but in 1827 he went into business independently.
He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
in 1836. In 1839, he became president of the Boston Temperance Society, the first total abstinence association in that city, and in 1839 he advocated a continuous railway between Boston and the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. He retired from commercial life in 1840.
In 1842–1848 he lectured on political economy
Political economy
Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. Political economy originated in moral philosophy...
at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, in 1853–1860 he was an examiner on political economy at Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and in 1859–1869 lecturer on political economy at Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
. The degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by Amherst in 1867.
He was a frequent contributor to periodical literature, especially on financial subjects. His principal work, Science of Wealth, a Manual of Political Economy, was published in 1866. Other works were Nature and Uses of Money and Mixed Currency (Boston, 1857) and, with William B. Calhoun and Charles L. Flint, Transactions of the Agricultural Societies of Massachusetts (7 vols., 1848–1854). In 1857 he began the publication of a series of articles on political economy in Hunt's Merchant's Magazine.
He was active in the anti-slavery movement, and in 1848 he was one of the founders of the Free Soil Party
Free Soil Party
The Free Soil Party was a short-lived political party in the United States active in the 1848 and 1852 presidential elections, and in some state elections. It was a third party and a single-issue party that largely appealed to and drew its greatest strength from New York State. The party leadership...
. Walker served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
in 1849 and 1860, in the Massachusetts State Senate in 1850, as Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth is the principal public information officer of the state government of the U.S...
1851–1853, and in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
1862–1863, where he was elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Goldsmith Bailey
Goldsmith Bailey
Goldsmith Fox Bailey was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.Born in Westmoreland, New Hampshire. When he was three years old, his widowed mother moved with him to Fitchburg....
.
In 1853 he was chosen a member of the convention for revising the state constitution, becoming the chairman of the committee on suffrage. In 1860 he was chosen a member of the electoral college
Electoral college
An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
of Massachusetts, and cast his ballot for Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
.
Walker was a delegate to the first International Peace Congress
International Peace Congress
International Peace Congress, or International Congress of the Friends of Peace, was the name of a series of international meetings of representatives from peace societies from throughout the world held in various places in Europe from 1843 to 1853...
in London of 1843, and he served at the Paris Congress in 1849.
Walker died in North Brookfield on October 29, 1875. His interment was in Maple Street Cemetery.
Books
- The Science of Wealth: A Manual of Political Economy. Embracing the Laws of Trade, Currency, and Finance, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown & Co. (1866).