Madison Miner Walden was a Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 officer, teacher, publisher, farmer, the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Iowa

Lieutenant Governor of Iowa

This is a List of Lieutenant Governors of the U.S. state of Iowa, 1858 to present. In Iowa, the Lieutenant Governor and the governor run together on the same ticket. Before the 1998 Election, the law was changed from the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor running separately....

, and a one-term 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...

 U.S. Representative

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...

 from Iowa's 4th congressional district

Iowa's 4th congressional district

Iowa's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers most of the north-central part of the state....

, then located in southeastern Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

.

Biography

Born near Brush Creek Township, Scioto County, Ohio

Brush Creek Township, Scioto County, Ohio

Brush Creek Township is one of the sixteen townships of Scioto County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,149 people in the township, 1,063 of whom lived in the unincorporated parts of the township.-Geography:...

, Walden moved to Iowa in 1852.
He attended Denmark Academy in Lee County, Iowa

Lee County, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 35,862 in the county, with a population density of . There were 16,205 housing units, of which 14,610 were occupied.-2000 census:...

, and Iowa Wesleyan College

Iowa Wesleyan College

Iowa Wesleyan College is a private four-year liberal arts college of the United Methodist Church located Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.Iowa Wesleyan is recognized as a pioneer in higher education in America. Founded in 1842, it ranks as the oldest coeducational college located west of the Mississippi River...

 in Mount Pleasant, Iowa

Mount Pleasant, Iowa

Mount Pleasant is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Iowa, in the United States. The population was 8,668 in the 2010 census, a decline from 8,751 in the 2000 census. It was founded in 1835 by pioneer Presley Saunders.- History :...

, and was graduated from Ohio Wesleyan College

Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...

 in Delaware, Ohio

Delaware, Ohio

The City of Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County in the United States state of Ohio. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area...

, in 1859. He settled in Centerville, Iowa

Centerville, Iowa

Centerville is a city in and the county seat of Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,528 in the 2010 census, a decline from 5,924 in the 2000 census. After the turn of the 20th century Centerville had a booming coal mining industry that attracted many European immigrants...

 (in Appanoose County

Appanoose County, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 12,884 in the county, with a population density of . There were 6,633 housing units, of which 5,627 were occupied.-2000 census:...

).

After the outbreak of the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, he served in the Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

, as captain in the 6th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment

6th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment

The 6th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 6th Iowa Infantry was organized at Burlington, Iowa and mustered into Federal forces on July 17, 1861....

 and the 8th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry

8th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry

The 8th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry was an cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 8th Iowa Cavalry was mustered into Federal service at Davenport, Iowa for a three year enlistment on September 30, 1863....

, from May 1861 to May 1865. He was taken prisoner in an engagement at Newnan, Georgia

Newnan, Georgia

Newnan is a city in Coweta County, Georgia, about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta. The population was 16,242 at the 2000 Census. Newnan is one of the fastest growing cities in Georgia, with an estimated population of 27,097 in 2006 and 33,293 in July 2008...

, in July 1864, known as the Battle of Brown's Mill

Battle of Brown's Mill

The Battle of Brown's Mill was fought July 30, 1864, in Coweta County, Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. Edward M. McCook's Union cavalry, on a daring raid to sever communications and supply lines in south-central Georgia, was defeated near Newnan, Georgia, by...

 during "McCook's

Edward M. McCook

Edward Moody McCook was a lawyer, politician, distinguished Union cavalry general in the American Civil War, American diplomat, and Governor of the Territory of Colorado. He was a member of the famed "Fighting McCook" family of Ohio...

 Raid." He later escaped from a prison camp at Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

, and returned to his company. By the end of the War he had been promoted to the rank of major.

Returning from the War, he taught school, and published the Centerville (Iowa) Citizen from 1865 to 1874. He served as member of the Iowa House of Representatives

Iowa House of Representatives

The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 100 members of the House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 29,750 for each constituency...

 in 1866 and 1867, and in the Iowa Senate

Iowa Senate

The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 members of the Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 59,500 per constituency. Each Senate district is composed of two House districts...

 in 1868 and 1869. In 1869 he was elected as Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, starting his term in 1870.

In the 1870 Republican district convention for Iowa's 4th congressional district, Walden upset incumbent Fourth District Congressman William Loughridge

William Loughridge

William Loughridge was a pioneer attorney, judge, and three-term United States Congressman from Iowa....

 in the race for the Party's nomination for Loughridge's seat. Walden won the general election, and served in the 42nd United States Congress

42nd United States Congress

The Forty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1873, during the third and fourth...

 from March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1873. However, when Walden ran for renomination in 1872 (in what was reapportioned in 1871 as Iowa's 6th congressional district

Iowa's 6th congressional district

Iowa's 6th congressional district is a former congressional district in Iowa. It existed from 1862 to 1992, when it was lost due to Iowa's declining population....

), Loughridge turned the tables on Walden, ousting Walden.

After his defeat, Walden engaged in agricultural pursuits and coal mining in Centerville.
In 1890 he was again a member of the Iowa House from Appanoose County. He returned to Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 in 1889 when he was appointed chief clerk in the office of the Solicitor of the Treasury

Solicitor of the United States Treasury

The Solicitor of the Treasury position was created in the United States Department of the Treasury by an act of May 29, 1830 , which changed the name of the Agent of the Treasury.-Function:...

, and served until his death in Washington on July 24, 1891. He was interred in Oakland Cemetery in Centerville.