| Gilbert C. Walker | |
| Birth Name: | Gilbert Carlton Walker |
| State1: | Virginia |
| District1: | 3rd |
| Term Start1: | March 4, 1875 |
| Term End1: | March 3, 1879 |
| Predecessor1: | John A. Smith |
| Successor1: | Joseph E. Johnston |
| Office2: | Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor |
| Term2: | March 4, 1875 - March 3, 1877 |
| Predecessor2: | James Monroe |
| Successor2: | John Goode, Jr. |
| Order3: | 36th |
| Office3: | Governor of Virginia |
| Term Start3: | September 21, 1869 |
| Term End3: | January 1, 1874 Provisional Governor from September 21, 1869 – January 1, 1870 |
| Predecessor3: | Henry H. Wells (as Provisional Governor) |
| Successor3: | James L. Kemper |
| Lieutenant3: | John F. Lewis John Lawrence Marye Jr. |
| Birth Date: | August 1, 1833 |
| Birth Place: | Binghamton, New York |
| Death Place: | New York, New York |
| Resting Place: | Spring Forest Cemetery, Binghamton, New York |
| Party: | Republican (before 1870) |
| Otherparty: | Democratic (after 1870) |
| Alma Mater: | Hamilton College |
| Profession: | Attorney |
| Signature: | Signature of Gilbert Carlton Walker (1833–1885).png |
| Spouse: | Olive E. Evans (m. 1857-1855, his death) |
Gilbert Carlton Walker (August 1, 1833 – May 11, 1885) was a United States political figure. He served as the 36th Governor of Virginia, first as a Republican provisional governor between 1869 and 1870, and again as a Democrat elected governor from 1870 to 1874. He was the last Republican governor of Virginia until Linwood Holton took office in 1970.
Walker was born in Binghamton, New York[1] on August 1, 1833,[2] the son of Sabinus Walker and Matilda (Galloway) Walker.[2] Walker's parents separated when he was young, and his mother married Donald Grant of Chenango, New York.[3] [4] He attended academies in Delaware, New York and Binghamton, New York, then attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts from 1851 to 1852.[2]
In 1854, Walker received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.[2] While in college, he became a member of the Sigma Phi fraternity, and he won the college's first prize for declamation during his junior year.[1] He studied law with Judge Horace S. Griswold of Binghamton and was admitted to the bar in 1855.[2] In 1857 he received his Master of Arts degree from Hamilton.[2]
Walker practiced in Owego, New York, from 1855 to 1859, and in Chicago from 1859 to 1864.[2] He moved to Norfolk, Virginia, in 1864 and practiced law.[2] Walker also became involved in finance and served as president of Norfolk's Exchange National Bank.[2] His other business ventures included serving on the board of directors of the American Fire Insurance Company of Norfolk.[2] In 1866, he was an original incorporator of the Norfolk Insurance and Trust Company.[5] Walker was also a director of the Atlantic Iron Works and Dock Company and served as its president from 1866 to 1869.[2] Walker was president of Richmond, Virginia's Granite Insurance Company from 1874 to 1878 and editor and publisher of the Richmond Enquirer from 1874 to 1875.[1]
Walker served as Governor of Virginia from 1869 to 1874. He also served as a Democrat in the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879). In the Forty-fourth Congress, he was chair of the Committee on Education and Labor.[6] He did not stand for reelection in 1878.
Walker resettled in Binghamton, New York, in 1879 and resumed his legal practice.[2] He moved to New York City in 1881, where he continued practicing law.[2] Walker remained active in business ventures, including serving as president of the New York Underground Railroad Company.
Walker died in New York City on May 11, 1885.[2] He was buried at Spring Forest Cemetery in Binghamton.
In 1857, Walker married Olive E. Evans of Binghamton.[2]
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