Walker Wood
Walker Wood (April 23, 1874 - February 3, 1957) was an American journalist and politician from Mississippi. He was the 30th Secretary of State of Mississippi, serving from 1926 to 1948.
Walker Wood | |
|---|---|
 c. 1907 | |
| 30th Secretary of State of Mississippi | |
| In office April 7, 1926 – January 1948 | |
| Governor | Henry L. Whitfield Dennis Murphree Theodore G. Bilbo Martin Sennet Conner Hugh L. White Paul B. Johnson Sr. Thomas L. Bailey Fielding L. Wright |
| Preceded by | Joseph Withers Power |
| Succeeded by | Heber Austin Ladner |
| Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the Tate County district | |
| In office January 1908 – January 1912 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 23, 1874 Vicksburg, Mississippi |
| Died | February 3, 1957 (aged 82) Jackson, Mississippi |
| Political party | Democrat |
Early life
Walker Wood was born on April 23, 1874, in Vicksburg, Mississippi.[1] He was the son of William Menefee Wood and Josephine (Kendrick) Wood.[1] He was educated in the public schools in the Vicksburg area.[1]
Newspapers
At the age of eighteen, he began a career in journalism.[1] He was in charge of the Oxford Eagle from 1892 until he purchased the Senatobia Democrat and started being the editor of that newspaper in 1899.[1] He edited the Winona Times until 1940.[2]
Political career
A Democrat, Wood was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives representing Tate County in 1907 for the 1908-1912 term.[1] On April 7, 1926, he was appointed to the position of Secretary of State of Mississippi by Governor Whitfield after the death of Joseph Withers Power.[3] In 1945, he was the president of the National Association of Secretaries of State.[4] He stopped being the Secretary of State of Mississippi in 1948.[5] He was the president of the Mississippi State Microfilm Department from 1950 until his retirement in December 1956.[2]
Death
Wood died after a long illness on February 3, 1957, in a hospital in Jackson, Mississippi.[2] He was survived by his wife and two daughters.[6]
Personal life
Wood married Susie Garrott Meacham on February 19, 1902.[1] They had at least three children, Olivia Elizabeth Wood, George Meacham Wood, and another daughter.[1][6] Wood was a Methodist.[1]
References
- Rowland, Dunbar (1908). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. p. 1081.
- "Obituary for Walker Wood". The Clarke County Tribune. 1957-02-08. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- "Appointment Walker Wood Endorsed by Press". The Winona Times. 1926-04-30. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- "Enterprise-Journal from McComb, Mississippi on February 4, 1957 · Page 1". Newspapers.com. 4 February 1957. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
- https://www.sos.ms.gov/content/documents/ed_pubs/pubs/BlueBook16-20/16%20Historical%20and%20Statistical%20Info%20Section%20707-738.pdf
- "Obituary for Walker Wood". Hattiesburg American. 1957-02-04. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-02-06.