Robert John Walker (1801-1869) was a U.S. Senator and served as secretary of the Treasury. A lifelong regular Democrat, he fell out with the party leaders over the status of slavery in Kansas.

Robert John Walker was born in Northumberland, Pa., on July 19, 1801, the son of Jonathan Hoge Walker. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1819, Robert practiced law in Pittsburgh. He married Mary Bache (Benjamin Franklin's grand daughter) in 1825 and moved to Natchez, Miss., to enter his brother's law office. There he prospered as a lawyer and land speculator, acquiring several plantations. In 1836 he entered the Senate as a Jacksonian Democrat. In spite of his slight stature (he was five feet three inches tall and weighed 100 pounds) and his wheezy voice, he was an active and influential speaker. A party regular, he supported the independent treasury system and constantly attacked the protective tariff, the distribution...