549:, "As a trial lawyer I had rather go against any lawyer in the state than 'Buck' Walton." Johnson also wrote that, "Major Walton's specialties in the law were land and murder cases, and without specifying cases of either sort it is enough to say that at the time of his retirement from the bar he was credited with more cases of the kind than any lawyer in Texas." Throughout his long and active career, Walton was renowned for his speaking ability, both in the courtroom and on the campaign trail, speaking for his chosen candidates and causes. H. M. Garwood, once regent of the University of Texas and president of the Texas State Bar Association, named Major Walton as one of Texas' greatest lawyers in a speech entitled "Oratory, a Classic Tradition". "Walton was universally learned, constantly engaged in the trial of great criminal cases, ... turned with ease to the intricacies of the federal equity docket or the exposition of the Spanish law in old land grant cases."
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417:. He took odd jobs as a clerk to pay the bills, as ex-Confederates were not then allowed to practice law. Early in 1866, Walton and W.P. DeNormandie, who was absent from the South during the war and thus allowed to practice, formed a partnership, specializing in land claims. Business in Austin for lawyers was scarce in 1865, and in addition to his other work, Walton wrote Austin news for the
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347:, later governor of Texas, offered him a partnership that continued until Hamilton was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1858. Walton received a letter from Lettie early in the winter telling him to come for her, that she would marry him with or without her father's consent. He arrived in Carrollton on February 6, 1854, and he and Lettie were married on February 9.
315:. When Walton was just seven years old, Samuel Walker Walton died. His widow Mary married Benjamin C. Strange. Benjamin and Mary Strange and the family moved to Texas in 1844, where the four Walton boys stayed only one year before going back to Mississippi, where Walton received a share of his late father's estate. Mr. Strange died in 1848 and Mary in 1849.
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While in
Carrollton, Walton met and grew to love seventeen-year-old Lettie Watkins, whose parents, Dr. Thomas A. Watkins and Sarah Epes Fitzgerald Watkins, had a plantation nearby. He asked Lettie to marry him and go with him to Texas, but her parents withheld their permission. Despondent, young
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private secretary. He and Lettie had, by this time, a family of three young sons, Newton Samuel Walton born in 1855, Early
Watkins Walton born in 1857 and George Longstreet Walton born in 1860. On March 2, 1862, believing he had a duty to fight against the United States, Walton enlisted in the
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After Walton's law license was reinstated, he formed a partnership with John A. Green in 1870. Robert J. Hill joined the firm and the name became Walton, Green and Hill. In 1882, Major Green moved to San
Antonio to practice with his son. Newton Walton entered the partnership and the firm name
330:. In the fall of 1852, he was granted his license and given permission to practice law by a special enabling act of the legislature since he was not yet 21. After his licensing, Walton and George, his only surviving brother, decided to sell their father's land and move to Austin, Texas.
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Walton retired in 1907 after three bouts of severe illness. He spent his days entertaining visitors on the front porch of his Austin home. Mrs. Walton died on June 23, 1914, and her husband followed on July 1, 1915. They were both buried in the Walton family plot at Austin's old
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the scene was the wildest you ever saw. There were 1500 men present in the house. They threw up their hats, laughed, cried, caught me in their arms, hugged me and at one time, I was really afraid they would kill me in their furious enthusiasm over my act ... ... it was a grand
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William M. Walton arrived in Austin on
February 19, 1853, just a month past his twenty-first birthday. He immediately took the job of deputy clerk in the District Clerk's office to familiarize himself with the practice of law in Texas. In July 1853,
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Walton intended to run for attorney general again in the 1876 elections. At the Texas
Democratic Convention, in January of that year, he had a very large following and his nomination seemed assured, but when he learned that his opponent,
307:, on January 17, 1832. Walton had three brothers (George, Philip and Jesse) and a sister, Mary. "Buck" was a nickname given to Walton by his brother, George, and was used throughout his life. In 1834, the Walton family moved to
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Resolutions by the Travis County Bar
Association ordered that his portrait, "which adorns the District Courtroom, be draped in mourning". The portrait of William Walton still hangs today in a courtroom in the
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In 1866, Walton entered his name for
District Judge of the 2nd Judicial District. However, in the middle of May, the party committee asked him to withdraw his name to give the other conservative candidate,
402:. Walton left the army without leave when he learned his wife was severely ill, following the birth of their daughter, Sarah, on October 24, 1864. He was never punished, because of the breakup of the
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When Major Walton returned to Austin, he found his wife had made a miraculous recovery. Walton sent his family to live with his in-laws in
Mississippi, amidst fears of Union occupation during
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candidate. He instead ran for attorney general after the original
Democratic candidate withdrew. Walton won the election by a sizable majority. Among his other duties, Walton traveled to
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457:'s veto, effectively shut down the governments of most of the southern states and removed Confederate veterans from elected office. The Democratic administration of
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Walton served as the chairman of the state
Democratic executive committee from 1866 to 1872, during Reconstruction and the unpopular tenure of Republican Governor
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became Walton, Hill and Walton. When Newton died in 1894, the name was Walton and Hill and then returned to W.M. Walton with Mr. Hill's death in 1899.
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Walton started on his way out of Mississippi, but, after a day or two, came back to Carrollton to ask again, resulting in a secret engagement.
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Confederate Army. Walton's company, Co. B of the 21st Texas Cavalry Regiment, also known as the Texas Lancers, elected him 1st lieutenant.
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When he was seventeen, Walton was appointed deputy district clerk and in about two years saved enough money to go to the
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William Martin "Buck" Walton, the son of Samuel Walker Walton and Mary Wilkerson Lowe Walton, was born near
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With the start of the Civil War, the courts in Texas ceased operation and Walton took work as Governor
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and retake control of the state government. This came to pass with the election of
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newspaper, including the proceedings of the 1866 Texas Constitutional Convention.
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of the Austin bar and, in commenting on his ability as a lawyer, quoted
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and the Confederate evacuation of Little Rock, Walton took part in the
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theater owner Jack Harris. Walton later wrote Thompson's biography,
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362:. As a lieutenant, Walton led scouting raids in the vicinity of
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619:, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, 1811–1897
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Arguably, Walton's most famous client was Wild West gunman
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632:The Laws of Texas, 1822–1897, Vol. V., 1861–1866
434:, later a governor, a better chance against the
581:An Epitome of My Life, Civil War Reminiscences
271:(January 17, 1832 – July 1, 1915) was a
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1227:Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Austin, Texas)
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682:Reminiscences of an Ex-Confederate Soldier
465:and Texas came under military occupation.
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1217:People of Texas in the American Civil War
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697:The Life and Adventures of Ben Thompson
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516:The Life and Adventures of Ben Thompson
291:of the state and also headed the state
390:, leading a company in the battles of
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1242:People from Carrollton, Mississippi
453:, which were passed over President
283:, Walton served as a major in the
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1232:19th-century American politicians
684:, Gammel-Statesman Publishing Co.
669:, The American Historical Society
287:. After the war, he was elected
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1212:People from Canton, Mississippi
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906:State of Texas (1846–present)
537:Frank Johnson, the author of
617:Watkins-Walton Family Papers
845:Republic of Texas (1836–45)
579:Walton, William M. (1965),
338:Move to Texas and Civil War
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822:Attorneys General of Texas
665:Johnson, Frank W. (1914),
647:History of Texas 1685–1892
645:Brown, John Henry (1893),
541:, called Major Walton the
177:Lawyer, Politician, Author
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773:Attorney General of Texas
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634:, The Gammel Book Company
598:The Williamson County Sun
360:Trans-Mississippi Theater
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44:Attorney General of Texas
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667:Texas and Texans. Vol. V
372:Battle of Cape Girardeau
1207:Texas attorneys general
695:Walton, W. M. (1956) .
630:Gammel, H.P.N. (1898),
217:Confederate States Army
743:Walton, William Martin
728:, A.S.Barnes & Co.
680:Bowman, T. H. (1904),
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442:, to argue before the
408:The Epitome of my Life
320:University of Virginia
95:Texas Democratic Party
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459:James W. Throckmorton
380:Little Rock, Arkansas
269:William Martin Walton
65:James W. Throckmorton
23:William Martin Walton
583:, The Waterloo Press
376:Theophilus H. Holmes
474:Radical Republicans
451:Reconstruction Acts
370:'s vanguard in the
305:Canton, Mississippi
169:Letitia Ann Watkins
134:Canton, Mississippi
16:American politician
649:, Becktold and Co.
547:David B. Culberson
388:Red River Campaign
345:Andrew J. Hamilton
257:American Civil War
248:21st Texas Cavalry
199:Confederate States
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783:Ezekiel B. Turner
780:Succeeded by
766:William Alexander
748:Handbook of Texas
726:A Texas Scrapbook
486:Hannibal H. Boone
419:Houston Telegraph
368:John S. Marmaduke
352:Francis Lubbock's
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76:William Alexander
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524:Oakwood Cemetery
440:Washington, D.C.
425:Political career
384:Battle of Helena
364:Helena, Arkansas
293:Democratic Party
289:attorney general
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382:. After the
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253:Battles/wars
145:(1915-07-01)
102:
93:Chairman of
82:Succeeded by
51:
1202:1915 deaths
1197:1832 births
512:San Antonio
404:Confederacy
143:1 July 1915
72:Preceded by
1191:Categories
777:1866-1867
553:References
498:Later life
436:Republican
324:Carrollton
299:Early life
187:Allegiance
174:Profession
160:Democratic
127:1832-01-17
1177:(interim)
1175:Colmenero
1171:(interim)
1165:(interim)
1043:Lightfoot
1018:Culberson
1008:Templeton
1003:McCormick
983:Alexander
968:Alexander
897:Ochiltree
857:Henderson
745:from the
699:. Austin.
480:in 1873.
400:Louisiana
281:Civil War
107:1866–1872
103:In office
56:1866–1867
52:In office
42:12th
1108:Shepperd
1048:Walthall
1038:Davidson
953:Flournoy
938:Jennings
928:Hamilton
923:Brewster
867:Birdsall
61:Governor
1163:Webster
1143:Morales
1098:Sellers
1078:Bobbitt
1073:Pollard
1063:Keeling
1058:Cureton
998:McLeary
958:Shelley
887:Terrell
872:Watrous
862:Grayson
1158:Paxton
1153:Abbott
1148:Cornyn
1138:Mattox
1123:Martin
1113:Wilson
1103:Daniel
1088:McCraw
1083:Allred
1053:Looney
978:Turner
973:Walton
963:Tarver
948:Graham
943:Willie
918:Harris
913:Howard
882:Morris
750:Online
543:Nestor
493:scene.
273:lawyer
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166:Spouse
1169:Scott
1133:White
1068:Moody
1028:Smith
1023:Crane
993:Boone
988:Clark
933:Allen
892:Allen
232:Major
1128:Hill
1118:Carr
1093:Mann
1033:Bell
1013:Hogg
877:Webb
394:and
238:Unit
223:Rank
140:Died
121:Born
275:in
1193::
655:^
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814:e
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129:)
125:(
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