Joseph Walker (Massachusetts speaker)

Joseph Walker was a U.S. lawyer and politician who served as the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1909 to 1911.

Joseph Walker
Walker c. 1909
Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office
1909–1911
Preceded byJohn N. Cole
Succeeded byGrafton D. Cushing
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 2nd Norfolk District
In office
1904–1911
Preceded byBenjamin C. Dean[1]
Succeeded byJohn H. Sherburne / John A. Curtin[2]
Personal details
BornJuly 13, 1865
Worcester, Massachusetts
DiedNovember 26, 1941(1941-11-26) (aged 76)
Boston, Massachusetts
Political partyRepublican
ProfessionLawyer

Early life

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Walker was born on July 13, 1865, in Worcester, Massachusetts, to Joseph H. Walker and Hannah M. (Kelly) Walker.[3] His father was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1889 to 1899.[4]

Walker earned degrees from Phillips Exeter Academy, Brown University, Harvard College, and Harvard Law School. He was admitted to the Suffolk County bar in 1889.[3]

Politics

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Walker was a member of the Brookline School Committee from 1897 to 1903. He also served on the Town Committee and was a Republican State Committeeman.[3]

In 1904 Walker was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He served as chairman of the House Rules, Ways, and Means Committee, the special State Accounts Committee, and the Railroads Committee. In 1909 he was elected Speaker of the House.[3]

Walker was a candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in 1911, but lost the Republican nomination to Lieutenant Governor Louis A. Frothingham.[5] He ran again in 1912, but lost in the general election to Governor Eugene Foss.[6] He ran a third time in 1914 as a member of the Progressive Party. He finished in third place with 7.02% of the vote.[7]

Death

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Walker died on November 26, 1941, at the Phillips House of the Massachusetts General Hospital.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Annual Register of the Executive and Legislative Departments of the Government of Massachusetts, 1903" (PDF), Journal of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts – via State Library of Massachusetts
  2. ^ "Annual Register of the Executive and Legislative Departments of the Government of Massachusetts, 1912" (PDF), Journal of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts – via State Library of Massachusetts
  3. ^ a b c d "The New Speaker". Cambridge Tribune. January 9, 1909. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  4. ^ Hall, J. Brainerd (January–December 1911). "Looking Down the Vista of Departed Years". Worcester Magazine. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  5. ^ "Republican Contest Won by Frothingham, Democratic Ticket Again Headed By Gov. Foss". Boston Daily Globe. September 27, 1911. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  6. ^ Number of Assessed Polls, Registered Voters and Persons who Voted in Each Voting Precinct at the State, City, and Town Elections. 1912.
  7. ^ Number of Assessed Polls, Registered Voters and Persons who Voted in Each Voting Precinct at the State, City, and Town Elections. 1913.
  8. ^ "Obituary". The Hartford Corrant. November 27, 1941.
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Massachusetts
1912
Succeeded by
Preceded by Progressive nominee for Governor of Massachusetts
1914
Succeeded by
Nelson B. Clark
Massachusetts House of Representatives
Preceded by Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
1909 — 1911
Succeeded by