Born on July 20, 1754, near Hogestown,[1] Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County, Province of Pennsylvania, British America, Walker graduated from Dickinson College in 1787 and read law in 1790.

He was President Judge of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for the Fourth Judicial District from 1806 to 1818.

[3] Among his children was Robert J. Walker (1801−1869), who served as a U.S. senator from Mississippi and Secretary of the Treasury under President James K. Polk.

He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 20, 1818, and received his commission the same day.

His service terminated on March 23, 1824, due to his death in Natchez, Mississippi.