John Grimes Walker was born on March 20, 1835, in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, to Alden Walker and Susan Grimes. His mother died on October 31, 1846. By 1850, he was living in Burlington, Iowa, with his uncle James W. Grimes, who later became governor of Iowa.

 

In 1850, he joined the United States Navy as an acting midshipman. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1856, and he served aboard the USS Falmouth as part of the South American Squadron in the late 1850s. He was promoted to lieutenant in January 1858.

 

He remained in the navy during the Civil War, and he was promoted to lieutenant commander in July 1862. He commanded the USS Baron de Kalb in 1862 as part of the Mississippi Squadron, and he took part in the siege of Vicksburg and the capture of Fort Fisher.

 

He married Rebecca Pickering in 1866, and they had at least five children: Frances, born around 1868; James, born around 18; Susan, born around 1871; Harry, born around 1877; and Sarah, born around 1879. The family lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before moving to Salem, Massachusetts, in the 1870s. By 1870, he owned $10,000 of real estate and $12,000 of personal property.

 

He was promoted to commander in July 1866, and he served as assistant superintendent of the Naval Academy from 1866 until 1869. He served as secretary of the Lighthouse Board from 1873 until 1878, and he was promoted to captain in June 1877. He became Chief of the Bureau of Navigation in 1881. He was promoted to commodore in February 1889 and then to rear admiral in January 1894. He retired from the navy in March 1897.

 

By 1900, he and his family were living in Washington, D.C. He died in Ogunquit, Maine, on September 16, 1907.

 

Image: John G. Walker (courtesy Wikicommons)

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