Nelson Walker
Community leader in Tennessee
About Nelson Walker
Lived 1827 – 1875 (aged 47–48).
Nelson Walker (c. 1827 - July 7, 1875) was a prominent community leader in Tennessee and Justice of the Peace. He was born enslaved, worked as a barber, purchased freedom for himself, his wife, and their four children, and became a wealthy lawyer, judge and bank president in Nashville, Tennessee. He was a member of the masonic fraternity. Nelson served as Treasurer for the first Negro Masonic Lodge and was influential in gaining support and funding for Mount Ararat Cemetery, Nashville's first black cemetery.
Mason died at his home July 1875. He was described in his obituary as a "prominent colored man" and noted as the first black Justice of the Peace in his county, elected to office in 1866.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Nelson Walker's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Nelson Walker?
Community leader in Tennessee
When was Nelson Walker born?
Nelson Walker was born in 1827.
When did Nelson Walker die?
Nelson Walker died in 1875.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Nelson Walker. https://biography.guide/nelson-walker/
MLA: "Nelson Walker." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/nelson-walker/.
Chicago: "Nelson Walker." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/nelson-walker/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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