John James Walker. 93 



JOHN JAMES WALKER. 1825-1900. 



JOHN JAMES WALKER was born at Kennington, Surrey, on the 

 2nd October, 1825, and received his early education partly at the Lon- 

 don High School and partly at the Plymouth New Grammar School. 

 His father, John Walker, was successively Head-master of those 

 schools during this period. The family on the father's side was 

 originally derived from Yorkshire, but had been settled in Ireland for 

 several generations. Matthias Walker, the great-grandfather, John 

 Walker, the grandfather, and John Walker, the father of the subject 

 of this notice, were graduates of the University of Dublin. On his 

 mother's side, Mr. J. J. Walker was mainly of English descent. 



John Walker, the grandfather, was in orders of the Church of 

 Ireland, and held a distinguished position as fellow of Trinity College, 

 Dublin. He edited several classical text-books, formerly much in 

 vogue among the students of the College, and also published works on 

 elementary mathematics and logic. 



As a natural consequence of the long connection of his family with 

 the University of Dublin, Mr. J. J. Walker proceeded to Trinity 

 College, and graduated at the Associated University of Dublin, B.A. 

 in 1849, and M.A. in 1857. But he entered the College labouring 

 under serious drawbacks, for it appears that owing to a notable evan- 

 gelical movement which disturbed the official theology of the College 

 and University, the representatives of Mr. Walker's family ceased to 

 be conformists. 



In the Book of Trinity College, published at the tercentenaiy (1591 

 1891), it is recorded of Kearny, the last Provost of the eighteenth 

 century, "his only notable act was to refuse, with tears in his eyes, 

 the resignation offered him, on the ground of religious difficulties, 

 by the pious John Walker, and to expel him publicly on the next 

 day. " 



Mr. J. J. Walker therefore was debarred from competition for 

 scholarship or fellowship, and lay under other discouraging dis- 

 abilities. The early death of his father hampered his resources, and 

 made it desirable that he should, while still an undergraduate, take 

 pupils when the opportunity offered. Nevertheless, he passed through 

 the usual undergraduate course with great credit. After obtaining 

 intermediate honours, he was Gold Medallist and Senior Moderator iu 

 Mathematics and Physics at the degree examination, and the year 

 after (1850) obtained the second Bishop Law's prize, an honour highly 

 esteemed in the College. 



