WALKER, WILLIAAI (1824-60). An Ameri can adventurer and filihustcr, born in Nashville, Tenn. lie graduated at the University of Nash ville and was admitted to the bar, after which he studied medicine at Edinburgh and Heidel berg. Pe then engaged in newspaper work in New Orleans and San Francisco. In the slimmer of 1853 he organized an expedition for the eon quest of the Mexican State of Sonora. He eluded the 'United States authorities, landed with an armed force at La Paz, in Lower California, in November, raptured setleral small towns, pro claimed himself President, and started on a march inland. His provisions and ammunition ran short, however, and to escape falling into the hands of a :Mexican force-which was sent against him he crossed the boundary into the 'United States. and surrendered to the United States officials at San Diego. He was tried at San Francisco for violating the neutrality laws. but was acquitted. He next planned an expedi tion to Nicaragua, then in a state of civil Ivan-. Be landed at Rea lejo June 11. 1855, and succeeded in Granada and an arrange ment with General Corral. the President. by which Walker was appointed Secretary of War and commander-in-chief. The two leaders soon quarreled and Walker had Corral tried for con spiracy and shot. Walker was then in complete control of Nicaragua, of which, after a short and successful war with Costa Rica, he had himself proclaimed President. Walker's rule very soon
became arbitrary, however, and provoked an in surrection, which resulted in his expulsion from Granada. To save himself he surrendered lay 1, 1857, to Commander C. H. Davis of the United States sloop Saint Mary's, by whom he was con veyed to New Orleans, where he was put under bonds to keep the peace. ln November of the same year he was again in Nicaragua with a string force of Americans and natives behind him, but was soon again driven from the country. Late in 1858 he started with a force of adventur ers for Honduras. hut a shipwreck caused him to abandon the expedition for the time being. In June, 1860, lie made a second attempt, landed at Ruatan on August 15th, and captured Truxillo (Trujillo), but was compelled to flee, and sub sequently surrendered himself to the captain of the British sloop-of-war Icarus, by whom he was handed over to the Honduran Government. He was condemned by court-martial at Truxillo and shot there on September 22, 1860. 11e wrote The War in ,ViefH'npuu (1S(10). Consult also: Wells, Expedition to Nicaragua (185f); and Doubleday, Reminiscences of the Filibuster War in Nicaragua (1886).