Joseph Knox Walker (July 19, 1818 - August 21, 1863) was an American politician and officer in the Confederate Army.
| Colonel Joseph Knox Walker | |
| Office: | Member of the Tennessee Senate |
| Term Start: | 1858? |
| Term End: | 1861? |
| Office1: | Secretary to the President of the United States |
| President1: | James K. Polk |
| Term Start1: | March 4, 1845 |
| Term End1: | March 4, 1849 |
| Predecessor1: | Robert Tyler |
| Successor1: | William Wallace Smith Bliss |
| Birth Name: | Joseph Knox Walker |
| Birth Date: | July 19, 1818 |
| Birth Place: | Columbia, Tennessee |
| Death Date: | August 21, 1863 (aged 45) |
| Death Place: | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Allegiance: | Confederate States of America |
| Rank: | Colonel |
Walker was born on July 19, 1818, in Columbia, Tennessee. He was the son of James Walker, of Columbia, Tennessee, a nephew of President James K. Polk, and a brother of Lucius Marshall Walker. He graduated from Yale College in 1838.
In March 1845, he became Private Secretary of President Polk and the signer of land-warrants. In 1858, he was a member of the Tennessee Senate.
Soon after the beginning of the American Civil War, he entered the Confederate States Army and became colonel of the 2nd Tennessee Infantry Regiment. Exposure in camp at Columbus, Kentucky, and afterward in the vicinity of the Siege of Corinth and Battle of Shiloh, impaired his health so seriously that he resigned his command. The United States Army general commanding the department permitted him to return home to Memphis, Tennessee. There, his strength gradually declined until he died.
He died at the residence of his brother-in-law, Mr. Wm. S. Pickett, on August 21, 1863, aged about 45 years.