Walker Anderson
Encyclopedia
Walker Anderson was a Florida
lawyer
and Democratic
politician who served on the Florida Supreme Court
from 1851 to 1853.
He was born in Petersburg, Virginia
, on July 18, 1801. He studied law at Raleigh, North Carolina
and married Phoebe Hawks. He practiced law and was a professor of English and of history at the University of North Carolina
from 1831 - 1832. In 1835, he moved to Pensacola
during the Second Seminole War
. He was unsuccessful in a number of business ventures, and opened a law practice. He was a charter member of the Florida Democratic Party.
Escambia County elected him a delegate to the 1838 St. Joseph constitutional convention. As a delegate, he supported anti bank policies and statehood, and opposed division of the territory. In 1840, he was elected to the Territorial
House of Representatives. In May 1841, President John Tyler appointed him United States attorney for West Florida. He prosecuted abolitionist Jonathan Walker in 1844. He became a Territorial Senator in 1845. His bid for election to the Florida State Senate
was not successful. In 1847 was appointed West Florida Commissioner of Public Schools. He returned to the Florida Legislature in 1850, where he supported separation of the Florida Supreme Court and popular election of justices. He was chosen in 1851 by the Legislature as Chief Justice to the Florida Supreme Court. In 1853, returned to his legal practice in Pensacola. He died in Pensacola on January 18, 1857,
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician who served on the Florida Supreme Court
Florida Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. The Supreme Court consists of seven judges: the Chief Justice and six Justices who are appointed by the Governor to 6-year terms and remain in office if retained in a general election near the end of each...
from 1851 to 1853.
He was born in Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
, on July 18, 1801. He studied law at Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
and married Phoebe Hawks. He practiced law and was a professor of English and of history at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
from 1831 - 1832. In 1835, he moved to Pensacola
Pensacola
Pensacola is a city in the western part of the U.S. state of Florida.Pensacola may also refer to:* Pensacola people, a group of Native Americans* A number of places in the Florida:** Pensacola Bay** Pensacola Regional Airport...
during the Second Seminole War
Second Seminole War
The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between various groups of Native Americans collectively known as Seminoles and the United States, part of a series of conflicts called the Seminole Wars...
. He was unsuccessful in a number of business ventures, and opened a law practice. He was a charter member of the Florida Democratic Party.
Escambia County elected him a delegate to the 1838 St. Joseph constitutional convention. As a delegate, he supported anti bank policies and statehood, and opposed division of the territory. In 1840, he was elected to the Territorial
Florida Territory
The Territory of Florida was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 30, 1822, until March 3, 1845, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Florida...
House of Representatives. In May 1841, President John Tyler appointed him United States attorney for West Florida. He prosecuted abolitionist Jonathan Walker in 1844. He became a Territorial Senator in 1845. His bid for election to the Florida State Senate
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
was not successful. In 1847 was appointed West Florida Commissioner of Public Schools. He returned to the Florida Legislature in 1850, where he supported separation of the Florida Supreme Court and popular election of justices. He was chosen in 1851 by the Legislature as Chief Justice to the Florida Supreme Court. In 1853, returned to his legal practice in Pensacola. He died in Pensacola on January 18, 1857,