Joseph Edison Walker
| Joseph Edison Walker | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 31, 1879 Tillman, Mississippi, USA |
| Died | July 28, 1958 (aged 79) Memphis, Tennessee, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
Alcorn Meharry Medical College |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder of Universal Life Insurance Company and TriState Bank of Memphis |
Joseph Edison Walker (March 31, 1879 – July 28, 1958) was a leading African American physician, businessman and religious leader. After graduating from college and medical school, he practiced as a doctor in Mississippi, where he was born and reared. He also became president of a bank and an insurance company serving blacks. In 1920 he moved with his family to Memphis, Tennessee for more opportunities.
With associates he founded the Universal Life Insurance Company in 1923, which became one of the largest black-owned insurance companies in the nation under his leadership through 1952. With his son, in 1946 he founded Tri-State Bank, also of Memphis. He also founded the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, a non-denominational church in Memphis.
Walker was born on March 31, 1879 (some sources indicate 1880) in Tillman, Mississippi, within rural Claiborne County. His parents were George and Patsy (Wheeler) Walker, who worked as sharecroppers on a cotton plantation. He attended local schools and his parents encouraged him to gain an education.
In 1903, Walker graduated from Alcorn College in Lorman, Mississippi. He graduated from medical school at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Both are historically black colleges. He returned to Mississippi, where he started a medical practice in Indianola. He worked there from 1906 to 1919.
On October 26, 1906, he married Lela O'Neal. They had two children, Johnetta Elmo Walker [Kelso] (June 14, 1907–January 5, 1995) and A(ntonio) Maceo Walker (June 7, 1909–June 8, 1994), both born in Indianola. They had a long life together, and Lela Walker died in 1954.
At the age of 78, Dr. Walker secretly married Louise S. O'Reilly, a 30-year-old school teacher, on September 28, 1957.
Walker met other educated black men in the Delta, and looked at developing business opportunities to serve the needs of his people. In 1912 he was selected as president of the Delta Penny Savings Bank, one of the businesses started by blacks. In 1917 he was elected president of the Mississippi Life Insurance Company.
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