George Herbert Walker
George Herbert Walker Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Herbert Walker Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | 24 June 1953 (aged 78) New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | Bert Walker Sr. |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1900–1953 |
| Known for | Founder of G.H. Walker & Co., President of USGA, namesake of the Walker Cup |
George Herbert "Bert" Walker Sr. (June 11, 1875 – June 24, 1953) was a prominent American financier and entrepreneur, known as the maternal grandfather of President George H. W. Bush and great-grandfather of President George W. Bush, both bearing his name. During his time as a law student at Washington University School of Law, he also earned the title of Missouri's amateur heavyweight boxing champion.
Early life and education
Walker was born in St. Louis, Missouri into a family with roots tracing back to Maryland. He was the youngest child of David Davis Walker, a dry goods merchant from Bloomington, Illinois, whose business later grew into a major wholesaler eventually acquired by Burlington Industries. A practicing Roman Catholic, Walker attended the Jesuit boarding institution Stonyhurst College in England before graduating from Washington University in St. Louis in 1897.
Business Career
In 1900, Walker launched the banking and investment company G.H. Walker & Co.. Utilizing his broad network of international banking contacts, he was instrumental in organizing the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and held considerable sway within the local Democratic Party.
By 1920, he assumed the presidency of W.A. Harriman & Co., where he orchestrated vital financing that enabled W. Averell Harriman to take control of the Hamburg-Amerika Line. He also created the American Ship and Commerce Corp., a subsidiary empowered to manage Hamburg-Amerika’s operations under contract. In 1931, following its renaming to Harriman Brothers & Company in 1927, W.A. Harriman & Co. merged with British-American investment firm Brown Bros. & Co.
After this merger, Walker stepped back to concentrate on his own enterprise, G.H. Walker & Co., while his son-in-law Prescott Bush and other partners took on leadership roles at the newly formed Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
Walker served on the boards of several corporations including W.A. Harriman & Company; Harriman Fifteen; American International Corporation; Georgian Manganese Corporation; Barnsdall Corporation; American Ship & Commerce Corporation; Union Banking Corporation; G.H. Walker & Company; Missouri Pacific Railroad; Laclede Gas; and New Orleans, Texas and Mexico Railroad.
Golf and horse racing
An avid golfer, Walker held the position of President of the United States Golf Association (USGA). The prestigious Walker Cup, a biennial golf competition, bears his name in honor of his foundational contributions. He was affiliated with both Deepdale Golf Club and National Golf Links of America—the venue for the inaugural Walker Cup.
Together with W. Averell Harriman, Walker co-led a syndicate responsible for renovating Madison Square Garden and Belmont Race Track in 1925, significantly enhancing these two legendary sports facilities.
Personal life
Walker married Lucretia Wear (1874–1961), and they had six children:
- Dorothy Wear Walker, who married U.S. Senator Prescott Bush and was mother to President George H. W. Bush and grandmother to George W. Bush;
- George Herbert Walker Jr., who co-founded the New York Mets;
- Dr. John M. Walker Sr., CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and father of Judge John M. Walker Jr.;
- James Wear Walker;
- Nancy Walker; and
- Louis Walker.
His brother-in-law Joseph Walker Wear was among the founders of the Davis Cup. His son-in-law Prescott Bush served on the USGA executive committee from 1928 to 1935, holding roles including Secretary, Vice President, and President.
Walker owned several residences: the Walkers Point estate located in Kennebunkport; a mansion on Long Island; and an apartment at One Sutton Place in Manhattan. In the 1930s, he acquired Duncannon Plantation near Barnwell, South Carolina—a 10,000-acre property used as a private hunting retreat—which he later transformed into a hunting club during the 1940s before much of its land was purchased by the U.S. government for development of the Savannah River Site.
Death and legacy
Walker passed away in 1953 in New York City at the age of 78. He left behind his wife and a number of grandchildren, among them prominent individuals like George H. W. Bush, Ambassador to Hungary and Stifel Nicolaus CEO George Herbert Walker III, William H. T. (Bucky) Bush, Nancy Ellis Bush, Ray Walker, Betty Walker Holden, as well as great-grandchildren including George W. Bush and Jeb Bush.