John Walker (Arkansas politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Walker
|
|
|---|---|
| Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 34th district |
|
| In office January 2011 – October 28, 2019 |
|
| Preceded by | Wilhelmina Lewellen |
| Succeeded by | Joy Springer (elect) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Winfred Walker
June 3, 1937 Hope, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | October 28, 2019 (aged 82) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff New York University Yale Law School |
| Profession | Attorney |
John Winfield Walker (June 3, 1937 – October 28, 2019) was an American politician. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives for District 34. He held this position from January 2011 until his death.
John Walker's Life and Work
John W. Walker was born in Hope, Arkansas. He went to Yerger High School there until 1952. In 1965, Walker started his law practice in Little Rock, Arkansas. He focused on civil rights cases. Civil rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person.
In 1968, he opened one of the first law firms in the South that included people of different races. It was first called Walker and Chachkin. From 1965 until he passed away in 2019, Walker was involved in many important cases. These cases were about racial discrimination in Arkansas.
Many of his cases were "landmark" cases. This means they created new laws or changed how things were done. They helped open doors for people in schools and workplaces. This happened across Arkansas and nearby states.
One very important case took up his time since 1965. This was the Little Rock school case. It was first started by Wiley A. Branton and Thurgood Marshall. Thurgood Marshall later became a Supreme Court Justice.
Many of Walker's early cases helped groups of people. These people faced unfair treatment because of their race. This often happened in large companies. One of Walker's recent cases was against Wal-Mart. It was the only nationwide case about racial discrimination against the company that was won. This case involved African American truck drivers.
John Walker passed away at his home in Little Rock on October 28, 2019. He was 82 years old.
John Walker's Education Journey
John Walker finished high school at Jack Yates High School in Houston, Texas, in 1954. He was the first African American student accepted as an undergraduate at the University of Texas after the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954. However, he was not allowed to attend because of his race. The Brown decision said that separate schools for different races were not fair.
In 1958, he graduated from Arkansas AM&N College in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He earned a degree in Sociology. In 1961, he received a master's degree from New York University. Then, in 1964, he earned his law degree from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Walker's first job was as an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) in New York. The NAACP is a group that works for civil rights. He continued to work with LDF as a cooperating attorney and later joined their Board.
John Walker's Political Career
John Walker became a state representative in Arkansas. In 2010, the previous representative, Wilhelmina Lewellen, retired. This left the seat open. Walker won the election to represent District 34. He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from January 2011 until his death in 2019. In 2012, he ran for re-election and faced no opponents.
