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Thomas Calhoun Walker (June 16,1862 – November 5, 1953) was born during the Civil War, the son of two slaves. He became African-American lawyer who devoted himself as legal defense to the African-American community of Gloucester County, Virginia where he was born. He promoted land ownership, and public secondary schools for blacks in Gloucester. He served as “self-appointed unpaid superintendent of negro schools in Gloucester county” (The Honey-Pot Tree). He worked in government for Gloucester County. for the State of Virginia, and for the Federal Government. He wrote an autobiography The Honey-Pot Tree which was published posthumously.

Early Life
Walker was born June 16, 1862 in Gloucester, Virginia. At the age of 13 he learned to read and write. In 1883 he began studying law at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), attending night classes under Booker T Washington. In order to facilitate his studies, former Confederate General William Taliaferro In 1887 allowed Walker access to his private library. In that year he was admitted to the Virginia Bar.

Land Ownership
In and effort to improve financial independence of African Americans in Gloucester, Walker devoted time and money to promote land and home ownership and farming ones owned land. His effort at convincing arguments failed to motivate many to buy. So, he established the Gloucester Land and Brick Company, which bought large acreage at low cost from a sympathetic white land owner and sold small tracts to African American families for an oral promise to make small monthly payments toward payment of a low purchase price. Walker did not finance building, but he also required a commitment that the buyer would build a home of at least 3 rooms in order to motivate the buyer to escape the accustomed one room cabin that was the commmon house that ex-slaves rented.

Public Education
In 1888, he and William WeaVver established Gloucester Agricultural and Industrial High School (locally known as Cappahosic Academy). This was the first school that offered blacks an education beyond 6th grade. However, it required payment for participating students. In 1921, with funds from the Rosenwald Fund and donations from Afro American citizens of the county, he established Gloucester Training School, the first free secondary public school for African Americans in Gloucester County. In fact Walker was closely allied with Booker T. Washington and Rosewald Fund, which helped him to promote the building of five other public secondary schools. Because of his involvement with promoting public education for blacks in Gloucester, he appointed himself "unpaid superintendent of negro schools in Gloucester county"

Government Service
In 1891 he was elected to the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors, serving until 1895. In 1896, President McKinley appointed him as Virginia's first black Collector of Customs. In 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed Walker as advisor and consultant of Negro affairs for the Virginia Emergency Relief Administration, earning him the nick name of "Black Governor" of Virginia. In 1935, he was appointed to the Works Project Administration as part of the Federal Writers' Project for the state of Virginia, where he contributed to the American Guide Series and the inception of Slave Narrative Collection which culminated in The Negro in Virginia.