Walter Gresham

Walter Gresham (July 22, 1841 – November 6, 1920) was an American politician and lawyer. A Democrat, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas.

Born in Virginia, Gresham studied at the University of Virginia School of Law and fought in the American Civil War. He moved to Texas in 1866, where he practiced law. He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1887 to 1893, and was a member of the United States House from 1893 to 1895.

Early life and military service Gresham was born on July 22, 1841, at "Woodlawn", near near Newtown, King and Queen County, Virginia, the son of Edward Gresham and Isabella (née Mann) Gresham. He was of English ancestry, with ancestors of nobility.

Educated at private schools, Gresham attended academies of Edgehill and Stevensville. He suffered illness and injuries while in battle, and while recuperating, attended the University of Virginia,

While in the Texas House, Gresham was chairman of the Committee on Finance and was a member of the Committees on Constitutional Amendments; on Insurance, Statistics and History; on Internal Improvement; on the Judiciary; on Private Land Claims; on Public Health and Vital Statistics; on Representation and Apportionment on Congressional Districts; on Revision of Rules; and on Rules.

Gresham was a delegate to numerous political conventions; at one, he helped amend the Rivers and Harbors Bill.

Personal life and death On October 28, 1868, Gresham married Josephine Cory Mann, with whom he had nine children. He was buried on November 10, at Lakeview Cemetery, in Galveston. His house, Bishop's Palace, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.