William Stewart Walker
Encyclopedia
William Stewart Walker, usually known as Stewart Walker (October 6, 1914 – February 6, 1999), was a lieutenant colonel
from Winnfield
, Louisiana
who, during World War II
as a United States Army
major, rescued 380 of his fellow soldiers from behind enemy lines in Belgium
in December 1944. In 1964, he ran unsuccessfully as a Republican
for Louisiana's 8th congressional district
seat in the United States House of Representatives
, a position now defunct.
just north of the Winn Parish
line in north Louisiana, to William Thomas Walker and the former Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" Stovall (1877–1951), Walker was descended from a large and influential family. William Thomas and Lizzie Walker married in 1896 and had ten other children: Charles Elmer Walker (1897–1941), Pyburn Elton Walker (1899–1987), Edgar Lee "Ed" Walker (1901–1972), Vester Walker (1902–1906), Gladys Oneta Walker (1904–1963), William Elmo Walker (1905–1956), L.Z. Walker (1907–1993), Grace Mae Walker (1909–1991), Edwin Olen Walker (1911–1978), and George Thomas Walker, Sr.
(1913-2011). At the time of his mother's death in 1951, the obituary lists Walker as a lieutenant colonel in Vienna, Austria
. "Ed" Walker was a football
coach at the University of Mississippi
at Oxford
who led his team to an early Orange Bowl
competition, and Olen Walker had been a college football player. George T. Walker, the only sibling to survive William S. Walker, was a dean at Northwestern State University
in Natchitoches
and the retired president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
.
Walker was a cousin
of Morgan W. Walker, Sr.
, an Alexandria businessman who was president and founder of Continental Trailways.
Walker graduated from Northwestern State University. On September 1, 1940, he married the former Mary Elizabeth Abel (November 29, 1911 – September 2, 1999), a music
teacher in Winnfield and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P. K. Abel.
war correspondent Kenneth L. Dixon
, later of Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. In an article entitled “Major William S. Walker Leads Yanks From Nazis Lines In Daring Exploit; Beat Off Numerous Attacks In 6 Days,” Dixon describes Walker as having used “cage strategy” to bring his men to safety. Dixon reported that the men had been “isolated and encircled for five days and nights” east of Marche, Belgium
. The commander of the unit, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel M. Hogan of Pharr
in south Texas
, left the unit in an attempt to reach headquarters to summon for help. Left in charge, the 30-year-old Major Walker led the so-named “Fighting 400 Hogan's Task Force" through ten miles of enemy lines. Though having been given up for dead, all but twenty of the four hundred men returned.
Edit: the account above is fictional and erroneous! LTC Hogan never "left the unit" that goes against any combat commander's instincts. LTC Hogan remained with his men the entire time and was in fact the last man to cross back into friendly lines!
Dixon described the exploits as:
(1) penetration of enemy lines for more than thirty miles,
(2) trapped by three Panzer
divisions
(3) fighting a stealth strategy to keep the Nazis confused until the Americans’ fuel supplies were exhausted
(4) digging into a village to thwart an enemy counterattack
(5) refusal to surrender no matter how hopeless their prospects appeared.
Walker carefully conserved his gasoline
and still tried to strike through the Nazi parallel lines. Each attempt encountered overwhelming antitank, mortar, and artillery resistance. "Finally we closed up for the night there on the road, with both ends digging in," Walker was quoted by Dixon. Soon a radio message from headquarters ordered the men to fight their way back to the Allied lines.
Walker directed the task force against a large enemy infantry
force. He spotted a village on a high, mostly barren hill, and the task force pushed through to reach the town. Hogan had already arrived there four hours earlier. Using their last fuel, the Americans moved their tanks, half-tracks, and artillery pieces to seven roads leading from town. They then erected roadblocks.”
On December 23, 1944, pilots in unarmed C-47s attempted unsuccessfully to fly in supplies. On December 24, three German officers appeared in half-tracks bearing a white flag. They told Hogan that the Allied position was hopeless. The men saluted when Hogan replied that he had been ordered to fight to the finish. Lieutenant Harold L. W. Randall of White Cloud
, Kansas
, led an exploratory patrol. On Christmas Day, the force was ordered to try to make a run for it. The men blackened their faces and removed their helmets to confuse enemy patrols. They damaged their armored vehicles to make them useless to the enemy. Hogan’s men hiked over terrain so rugged that the Nazis had not thought it necessary to man the areas. Finally, on December 26, all but twenty of the four hundred men returned in triumph.
Walker's subsequent activities were thereafter reported by the New Orleans Times Picayune under the headline “’Task Force Hogan’ Back from New Armored Raid Deep into Germany” on January 9, 1945.
There is no evidence that Walker received any medals or commendation for his work in the relief of the soldiers in Belgium.
for a time at his alma mater, Northwestern State University, where his brother, George T. Walker, was the dean.
He soon became active in the budding movement to establish a competitive Republican Party in Louisiana, having first been a candidate for the Louisiana State Senate
in the general election
held on March 3, 1964, the same contest in which Charlton Lyons
, who also had Winn Parish ties, carried the Republican banner for governor. Walker was defeated, 81-19 percent, by the Democratic
nominee, former State Representative
W.L. Rambo of Georgetown
in Grant Parish
, who was allied with the Long
faction
and was even married to a member of the Long family, the former Mary Alice Long.
That summer, Walker was one of twenty delegates from Louisiana to the Republican National Convention
in San Francisco
, which nominated U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona
for president in the race against Lyndon B. Johnson
. Four congressional nominees from Louisiana were invited to meet privately with former President Dwight D. Eisenhower
, who endorsed the GOP
slate, including Walker, future Governor David C. Treen
of suburban New Orleans
, publisher Robert Angers
of Lafayette
, and businessman Floyd O. Crawford (1907–1995) of Baton Rouge, who opposed incumbent Representative and former gubernatorial candidate James H. Morrison
of Hammond
.
Walker’s opponent was Speedy O. Long
, an attorney and a former state senator from Jena
, the seat of La Salle Parish
. Considered the most conservative of the Longs, Speedy had unseated his cousin
, Gillis William Long
of Alexandria, in the Democratic primary in the summer of 1964. Walker’s showing, a half percent better than Treen received in his race against the Democrat Hale Boggs
, may have been a reflection of continuing Long factional divisions, which had appeared in 1963 in the gubernatorial primary. In that campaign, U.S. Representative Gillis Long was endorsed by U.S. Senator Russell B. Long
, the son of Huey Pierce Long, Jr., and the successful rival, John J. McKeithen, carried the backing of Blanche Long
, Earl Long’s politically-influential widow. Goldwater was an easy winner in Louisiana and polled large majorities in the northern half of the state prior to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which brought forth the registration of large numbers of African American
s. Goldwater provided a boost to Walker but insufficient help to defeat a Long candidate.
Long prevailed, 33,250 votes (54.5 percent) to Walker’s 27,735 (45.5 percent). Walker carried only Rapides Parish but polled at least 40 percent in Sabine, Natchitoches, Grant, La Salle, and Winn parishes.
Walker never again sought office and was not visibly involved thereafter in politics.
, William T. "Will" Walker (born on March 12, 1950, and adopted in Linz, Austria) and wife Shirley, then of Tallahassee
, Florida
, and Stewart Abel Walker (born September 22, 1951), then of New York City
, and two grandchildren, the offspring of Will Walker. William and Mary Elizabeth Walker are interred at the family plot at Transport Cemetery in Dodson
in Winn Parish.
Army and died from wounds received in 1864 at the Battle of Mansfield
in DeSoto Parish. Like the 20th-century Walker, the 19th-century William S. Walker was a lieutenant colonel. He was listed in the first Winn Parish census
in 1860 as having been an Alabama
native and twenty-eight years of age. He became only the second sheriff
of Winn Parish, leaving the position to join the Confederate Army . It is believed that this Walker, who was married to the former Rosanna McCreight, was buried at Mansfield Cemetery and that his remains were later exhumed and reburied in a family plot near Jonesboro
, the seat of Jackson Parish. The Winnfield chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy is named after the first William S. Walker. There were many Walkers in the area over both centuries and no indication that the World War II William Stewart Walker was a descendant of the Confederate William S. Walker.
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
from Winnfield
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
who, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
major, rescued 380 of his fellow soldiers from behind enemy lines in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in December 1944. In 1964, he ran unsuccessfully 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...
for Louisiana's 8th congressional district
Louisiana's 8th congressional district
Louisiana's 8th congressional district is a defunct Congressional district and no longer exists after Louisiana lost its eighth Congressional seat in the 1990 U. S. Census. For its entire existence, it was based in Alexandria and included much of the north-central part of the state.-List of...
seat 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...
, a position now defunct.
Large family
Walker was born in the Wyatt Community of southern Jackson ParishJackson Parish, Louisiana
Jackson Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1845 from parts of Claiborne, Ouachita, and Union Parishes. In 2010, its population was 16,274. The parish seat is Jonesboro...
just north of the Winn Parish
Winn Parish, Louisiana
Winn Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Winnfield. In 2000, its population was 16,894.The parish has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
line in north Louisiana, to William Thomas Walker and the former Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" Stovall (1877–1951), Walker was descended from a large and influential family. William Thomas and Lizzie Walker married in 1896 and had ten other children: Charles Elmer Walker (1897–1941), Pyburn Elton Walker (1899–1987), Edgar Lee "Ed" Walker (1901–1972), Vester Walker (1902–1906), Gladys Oneta Walker (1904–1963), William Elmo Walker (1905–1956), L.Z. Walker (1907–1993), Grace Mae Walker (1909–1991), Edwin Olen Walker (1911–1978), and George Thomas Walker, Sr.
George T. Walker
George Thomas Walker, Sr. , was from 1958 to 1976 the president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, known first as Northeast Louisiana State College and then as Northeast Louisiana State University, located in Monroe in northeastern Louisiana.-Background:Walker was born in the Wyatt Community...
(1913-2011). At the time of his mother's death in 1951, the obituary lists Walker as a lieutenant colonel in Vienna, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. "Ed" Walker was a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach at the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
at Oxford
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract....
who led his team to an early Orange Bowl
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935 and celebrated its 75th playing on January 1, 2009...
competition, and Olen Walker had been a college football player. George T. Walker, the only sibling to survive William S. Walker, was a dean at Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
in Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
and the retired president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
.
Walker was a cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
of Morgan W. Walker, Sr.
Morgan W. Walker, Sr.
Morgan Wailes Walker, Sr. was a businessman from Alexandria, Louisiana, who was involved in dairying, farming, bus transportation, hotels, banking, and education. He was a director of the Trans-Continental Bus system, which operated in time in more than forty states. Walker introduced Guernsey...
, an Alexandria businessman who was president and founder of Continental Trailways.
Walker graduated from Northwestern State University. On September 1, 1940, he married the former Mary Elizabeth Abel (November 29, 1911 – September 2, 1999), a music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
teacher in Winnfield and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P. K. Abel.
Military exploits
Walker’s military exploits in December 1944 were related by the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
war correspondent Kenneth L. Dixon
Kenneth L. Dixon
Kenneth Lee "Ken" Dixon , was a prominent journalist who reported, edited, and penned columns for seven newspapers, including two in Louisiana -- Lake Charles and Baton Rouge. He was also a war correspondent during World War II....
, later of Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. In an article entitled “Major William S. Walker Leads Yanks From Nazis Lines In Daring Exploit; Beat Off Numerous Attacks In 6 Days,” Dixon describes Walker as having used “cage strategy” to bring his men to safety. Dixon reported that the men had been “isolated and encircled for five days and nights” east of Marche, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The commander of the unit, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel M. Hogan of Pharr
Pharr, Texas
Pharr is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 70,400. Pharr is connected by bridge to the Mexican city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas...
in south Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, left the unit in an attempt to reach headquarters to summon for help. Left in charge, the 30-year-old Major Walker led the so-named “Fighting 400 Hogan's Task Force" through ten miles of enemy lines. Though having been given up for dead, all but twenty of the four hundred men returned.
Edit: the account above is fictional and erroneous! LTC Hogan never "left the unit" that goes against any combat commander's instincts. LTC Hogan remained with his men the entire time and was in fact the last man to cross back into friendly lines!
Dixon described the exploits as:
(1) penetration of enemy lines for more than thirty miles,
(2) trapped by three Panzer
Panzer
A Panzer is a German language word that, when used as a noun, means "tank". When it is used as an adjective, it means either tank or "armoured" .- Etymology :...
divisions
(3) fighting a stealth strategy to keep the Nazis confused until the Americans’ fuel supplies were exhausted
(4) digging into a village to thwart an enemy counterattack
(5) refusal to surrender no matter how hopeless their prospects appeared.
Walker carefully conserved his gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
and still tried to strike through the Nazi parallel lines. Each attempt encountered overwhelming antitank, mortar, and artillery resistance. "Finally we closed up for the night there on the road, with both ends digging in," Walker was quoted by Dixon. Soon a radio message from headquarters ordered the men to fight their way back to the Allied lines.
Walker directed the task force against a large enemy infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
force. He spotted a village on a high, mostly barren hill, and the task force pushed through to reach the town. Hogan had already arrived there four hours earlier. Using their last fuel, the Americans moved their tanks, half-tracks, and artillery pieces to seven roads leading from town. They then erected roadblocks.”
On December 23, 1944, pilots in unarmed C-47s attempted unsuccessfully to fly in supplies. On December 24, three German officers appeared in half-tracks bearing a white flag. They told Hogan that the Allied position was hopeless. The men saluted when Hogan replied that he had been ordered to fight to the finish. Lieutenant Harold L. W. Randall of White Cloud
White Cloud, Kansas
White Cloud is a city in Doniphan County, Kansas, United States. It was named for James White Cloud, son of Chief White Cloud of the Iowa Tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 176. White Cloud is the seat of government for the Iowa Reservation of Kansas and Nebraska...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, led an exploratory patrol. On Christmas Day, the force was ordered to try to make a run for it. The men blackened their faces and removed their helmets to confuse enemy patrols. They damaged their armored vehicles to make them useless to the enemy. Hogan’s men hiked over terrain so rugged that the Nazis had not thought it necessary to man the areas. Finally, on December 26, all but twenty of the four hundred men returned in triumph.
Walker's subsequent activities were thereafter reported by the New Orleans Times Picayune under the headline “’Task Force Hogan’ Back from New Armored Raid Deep into Germany” on January 9, 1945.
There is no evidence that Walker received any medals or commendation for his work in the relief of the soldiers in Belgium.
Republican Party
On returning to Louisiana after his military career ended in compulsory retirement, Walker taught military scienceMilitary science
Military science is the process of translating national defence policy to produce military capability by employing military scientists, including theorists, researchers, experimental scientists, applied scientists, designers, engineers, test technicians, and military personnel responsible for...
for a time at his alma mater, Northwestern State University, where his brother, George T. Walker, was the dean.
He soon became active in the budding movement to establish a competitive Republican Party in Louisiana, having first been a candidate for the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
held on March 3, 1964, the same contest in which Charlton Lyons
Charlton Lyons
Charlton Havard Lyons, Sr., also known as Big Papa Lyons , was a Shreveport oilman who in 1964 waged the first determined Republican bid for the Louisiana governorship since Reconstruction. Lyons also made a strong but losing bid for the United States House of Representatives in a special election...
, who also had Winn Parish ties, carried the Republican banner for governor. Walker was defeated, 81-19 percent, by the 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...
nominee, former State Representative
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
W.L. Rambo of Georgetown
Georgetown, Louisiana
Georgetown is a village in Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 301 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in Grant Parish
Grant Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,698 people, 7,073 households, and 5,276 families residing in the parish. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 8,531 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
, who was allied with the Long
Earl Long
Earl Kemp Long was an American politician and the 45th Governor of Louisiana for three non-consecutive terms. Long termed himself the "last of the red hot poppas" of politics, referring to his stump-speaking skills...
faction
Political faction
A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...
and was even married to a member of the Long family, the former Mary Alice Long.
That summer, Walker was one of twenty delegates from Louisiana to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, which nominated U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
for president in the race against Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
. Four congressional nominees from Louisiana were invited to meet privately with former President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, who endorsed the GOP
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...
slate, including Walker, future Governor David C. Treen
David C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
of suburban New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, publisher Robert Angers
Robert Angers
Robert John Angers, Jr. , was an American journalist, businessman, and conservative politician. A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography describes Angers as "a tireless and unselfish promoter of good government, the Acadiana region, and free enterprise."-Early years, education, military:Angers was born...
of Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
, and businessman Floyd O. Crawford (1907–1995) of Baton Rouge, who opposed incumbent Representative and former gubernatorial candidate James H. Morrison
James H. Morrison
James Hobson "Jimmy" Morrison, Sr. , was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the Sixth Congressional District of Louisiana, who served from 1943 to 1967...
of Hammond
Hammond, Louisiana
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
.
Walker’s opponent was Speedy O. Long
Speedy O. Long
Speedy Oteria Long was a Jena lawyer who was a Democratic U.S. Representative from central Louisiana between 1965 and 1973. Prior to his tenure in the since disbanded Eighth Congressional District, Speedy Long had been a member of the Louisiana state Senate...
, an attorney and a former state senator from Jena
Jena, Louisiana
Jena is a town in and the parish seat of La Salle Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,971 at the 2000 census.In September 2006, Jena became the focus of national news stories in the United States for a racial controversy involving its school system and a group of students known...
, the seat of La Salle Parish
La Salle Parish, Louisiana
La Salle Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of 2000, the population was 14,282. The parish seat is Jena.-Geography:The parish has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
. Considered the most conservative of the Longs, Speedy had unseated his cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
, Gillis William Long
Gillis William Long
Gillis William Long was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Louisiana and member of the Long family. Long served seven non-consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives but placed third in two campaigns for the Democratic gubernatorial nominations in 1963 and 1971...
of Alexandria, in the Democratic primary in the summer of 1964. Walker’s showing, a half percent better than Treen received in his race against the Democrat Hale Boggs
Hale Boggs
Thomas Hale Boggs Sr. , was an American Democratic politician and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Orleans, Louisiana...
, may have been a reflection of continuing Long factional divisions, which had appeared in 1963 in the gubernatorial primary. In that campaign, U.S. Representative Gillis Long was endorsed by U.S. Senator Russell B. Long
Russell B. Long
Russell Billiu Long was an American Democratic politician and United States Senator from Louisiana from 1948 until 1987.-Early life:...
, the son of Huey Pierce Long, Jr., and the successful rival, John J. McKeithen, carried the backing of Blanche Long
Blanche Long
Blanche Beulah Revere Long was the first lady of Louisiana from 1939–1940, 1948–1952, and 1956-1960. She was also a "partner in power" to her husband, Governor Earl Kemp Long. From 1956-1963, she was the Democratic national committeewoman from Louisiana...
, Earl Long’s politically-influential widow. Goldwater was an easy winner in Louisiana and polled large majorities in the northern half of the state prior to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which brought forth the registration of large numbers of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s. Goldwater provided a boost to Walker but insufficient help to defeat a Long candidate.
Long prevailed, 33,250 votes (54.5 percent) to Walker’s 27,735 (45.5 percent). Walker carried only Rapides Parish but polled at least 40 percent in Sabine, Natchitoches, Grant, La Salle, and Winn parishes.
Walker never again sought office and was not visibly involved thereafter in politics.
Death
After more than three decades of retirement, Walker died at St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria at the age of eighty-four. His services were held on February 9, 1999, at Edmond's Funeral Home Chapel in Winnfield. Nine months after her husband’s passing, Elizabeth Walker died in Winn Parish Medical Center. Her services were held in the First United Methodist Church in Winnfield. Pastor Barry Hoekstra, later of First United Methodist in Alexandria, officiated at the services for both. The Walkers had three children, Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Walker (born August 30, 1948), then of Boston, MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, William T. "Will" Walker (born on March 12, 1950, and adopted in Linz, Austria) and wife Shirley, then of Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, Florida
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...
, and Stewart Abel Walker (born September 22, 1951), then of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and two grandchildren, the offspring of Will Walker. William and Mary Elizabeth Walker are interred at the family plot at Transport Cemetery in Dodson
Dodson, Louisiana
Dodson is a village in Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 357 at the 2000 census.Dodson was the birthplace of the Alexandria businessman Morgan W. Walker, Sr...
in Winn Parish.
A previous William S. Walker
Another William S. Walker served in the ConfederateConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Army and died from wounds received in 1864 at the Battle of Mansfield
Battle of Mansfield
The Battle of Mansfield, also known as the Battle of Sabine Crossroads, occurred on April 8, 1864, in De Soto Parish, Louisiana. Confederate forces commanded by Richard Taylor attacked a Union army commanded by Nathaniel Banks a few miles outside the town of Mansfield, near Sabine Crossroads...
in DeSoto Parish. Like the 20th-century Walker, the 19th-century William S. Walker was a lieutenant colonel. He was listed in the first Winn Parish census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
in 1860 as having been an Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
native and twenty-eight years of age. He became only the second sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Winn Parish, leaving the position to join the Confederate Army . It is believed that this Walker, who was married to the former Rosanna McCreight, was buried at Mansfield Cemetery and that his remains were later exhumed and reburied in a family plot near Jonesboro
Jonesboro, Louisiana
Jonesboro is a town in and the parish seat of Jackson Parish in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 3,914 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, the seat of Jackson Parish. The Winnfield chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy is named after the first William S. Walker. There were many Walkers in the area over both centuries and no indication that the World War II William Stewart Walker was a descendant of the Confederate William S. Walker.