Oliver Ormerod Walker (1833 – 30 May 1914) was a British Conservative Party politician, army officer, and local dignitary from Lancashire.
Early life and family
Walker was born in 1833 in Bury, Lancashire. He was the eldest son of Oliver Ormerod Walker (his father, also named Oliver Ormerod Walker) and Helen Elizabeth Garston, of Chesham House, near Bury, Lancashire. He was educated at Tonbridge School.
Military and civic career
Walker held a commission in the 7th Royal Lancashire Militia and, upon the formation of the Volunteer Force, became lieutenant colonel of the 8th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps. He served as a magistrate, justice of the peace, and Deputy-Lieutenant for Lancashire. He was Mayor of Bury and held the office of High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1876.
Parliamentary career
In 1877, following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament Charles Cawley, Walker was selected as the Conservative candidate for Salford. He won the resulting by-election and served as MP for Salford until the 1880 general election, when both Salford seats were won by the Liberal Party.
Personal life and death
Walker married Jane Harrison in 1860. He was a member of the Carlton Club and the Junior Carlton Club. He died on 30 May 1914 at the age of 81.
Portraits
Two oil-on-canvas portraits of Walker are held by Bury Art Museum: one painted circa 1860 by Valentine Cameron Prinsep, and another painted in 1907 by Hubert von Herkomer. A portrait of his wife, Jane Harrison (Mrs. Oliver Ormerod Walker), also by Prinsep, is held in the same collection.
