Harvey Washington Walter

Colonel Harvey Washington Walter (1819–1878) was an American lawyer and railroad business executive. He served as the President of the Mississippi Central Railroad. During the Civil War, he invited Union General Ulysses Grant and his wife, Julia Grant, to stay in his mansion, Walter Place. He succumbed to the yellow fever after turning it into a hospital for patients in 1878.

Early life Harvey Washington Walter was born in Fairfield, Ohio on May 21, 1819.

Career Walter moved to Holly Springs, Mississippi, where he practiced law.

During the Civil War, Colonel Walter served as a Judge Advocate under General Bragg in the Confederate States Army. According to Walter, when Confederate General Earl Van Dorn retook Holly Springs, Walter forbid him to enter the house until Julia Grant has gone out.

In 1878, Walter turned his mansion into a hospital for patients with the yellow fever. He sent away his wife and youngest children, but his three sons remained to help. All four died of the disease within a week of each other.

Death and legacy Walter died of yellow fever in 1878. He was buried at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Holly Springs, Mississippi. His mansion, Walter Place, was inherited by his widow until it was acquired by his son-in-law, Oscar Johnson Sr., the co-founder of the International Shoe Company and husband of daughter Irene, in 1889.