John M. Walker Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1907-01-15)January 15, 1907 |
| Died | August 16, 1990(1990-08-16) (aged 83) |
| Education | Yale University (BS) Columbia University (MD) |
| Occupations | Investment banker,G. H. Walker & Co.,Alex. Brown & Sons |
| Medical career | |
| Profession | Physician |
| Field | Clinical assistant in surgery, 1949–1967 Chief physician (Hospital president), 1967–1975 |
| Institutions | Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center |
| Military career | |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Major |
| Conflicts | World War II |
John Mercer Walker Sr. (January 15, 1907 – August 16, 1990)[1] was an American physician andinvestment banker. A member of the prominentBush-Walker family, he was a maternal uncle of US PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush.
Walker was the fifth of six children of banker and businessmanGeorge Herbert Walker and his wife Lucretia Wear, daughter of James H. Wear. (Walker's older sister Dorothy married President Bush's father SenatorPrescott Bush.) Walker attendedThe Hill School[2] and laterYale University, where he lettered in football, baseball and squash, was a member ofSkull and Bones,[3]: 164 and graduated in 1931.[4]: 10 In 1936, Walker graduated from theColumbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and went on to hisresidency atRoosevelt Hospital.[1]
In 1939, he married Elsie Louise Mead, daughter ofGeorge Houk Mead, president of theMead Corporation.[5] They had three sons and four daughters. One daughter died of polio in 1955[6] and two daughters were born withDown syndrome.[4]: 129–30
DuringWorld War II he served as a major in theUS Army in Europe.[6] Walker had a private practice until he was diagnosed withpolio in 1950.[1][6] A skilled athlete and golfer, he would eventually need a wheelchair.[4]: 129 In 1952, he joined Memorial Hospital (now part ofMemorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center) as a clinical assistant in surgery[4]: 129 and remained with the institution for 25 years, serving as president from 1965 to 1974.[1]
In 1953, future President Bush's daughterPauline Robinson "Robin" Bush was diagnosed withleukemia. A local doctor advised them that treatment was futile, but Walker helped her get admitted to Memorial Sloan–Kettering.[4]: 129 [7] She lived another six months and died shortly before her fourth birthday.[6] President Bush later wrote about his uncle:
He was a great cancer surgeon, who had been stricken with polio. A strong and purposeful man. I told him of our local doc's advise and he said "You have no choice - none at all - you must treat this child. You must do all you can to keep her alive" and he went on to tell me of the strides in the field and of the importance of hope. So we treated her, and we watched her die before our eyes, but we also saw the wonders of remission and the dedication of the nurses and doctors, and we saw progress and we knew his advice was right. Six months later when it was all over - I thought back with gratitude for this sensible advice ...[8]
Walker had a second career as an investment banker. He became a managing partner inG. H. Walker & Co., founded by his father in 1900, and a limited partner inAlex. Brown & Sons.[6] In 1971, he retired to a farm inEaston, Maryland which for two decades he ran profitably for a third career. He spent summers with his extended family inKennebunkport, Maine.
In 1989, President Bush appointed Walker's eldest son District JudgeJohn M. Walker Jr. to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Bush told a White House lawyer "It's the least I can do for someone whose father did so much for me. Besides, Johnny's as well qualified as anyone else for the position."[4]: 129
Walker died in 1990 of ananeurysm, Kennebunkport.[6]
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