MERIWETHER L. WALKER

Meriwether Lewis Walker was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, September 30, 1869 His parents were Thomas and Catherine Lidsay Dabney Walker. He graduated in 1893 from the Military Academy of the United States West Point in 1896 and graduated from the School of Military Engineering of the United States. He was director from 1912 to 1914 the School of Army Field Engineering and professor of practical military engineering at West Point from 1914 to 1916 He married Edith B. Carey in 1904.

Walker was appointed chief engineer for Expeditions Punitive to Mexico from 1916 to 1917 he traveled to France as chief engineer of the American Expeditionary Forces from August 1918 to August 1919, then continued as an instructor at the War College Army 1919-1920. he was promoted to colonel on July 1, 1920.

Walker was chief engineer of the Panama Canal from 1921-1924 before serving as Governor of the Canal Zone on October 16, 1924 He worked in that position until 1928.

Of all the governors Walker Channel was probably the most stayed away. It was a quiet, rather reserved, but completely absorbed in his work man. For this reason probably was not as close to their workers as Morrow and Goethals, but his men regarded him as an absolutely fair and just person in all things, acting as the case without hesitation. It was a man "all business," said his men. As Goethals, was a man of prodigious memory, his mind retained the smallest details, those easily forgotten.

Canal traffic volume grew during his tenure, and he foresaw the need for future expansion. His was the foresight to see the need for additional reserve somewhere in the hills of Alto Chagres. In fact, in 1925 he led Illinois Congressman Martin B. Madden to the jungles of Alhajuela and indicated the possible sites for the construction of the dam, where he later built one, which was named in his honor by the support you gave to the project.

Meanwhile Walker worked in the deepening of the sea in the Balboa Pier and watched for municipal operations will continue in accordance with the growing population of employees and their families and the growth of the terminal cities of Panama and Colon, initial steps were taken to control flooding of the Chagres River and an auxiliary power plant was built in Miraflores. The cleanup program in Gaillard Cut dredges provided handling growing traffic. Walker died on July 29, 1947.