William Walker (* 8. May 1824 in Nashville, threshing floor lake; "† 12 September 1860) was an US-American physician, lawyer, a journalist, an adventurer and a mercenary, the center 19. Century tried to conquer several states in Central America. From 1856 to 1857 he was a president of the republic of Nicaragua. 1860 it was executed by the Honduran government.

Biography

Walker was born 1824 in Nashville, threshing floor lake. It studied medicine at the universities of Edinburgh and Heidelberg.Mit 19 locked it the medicine study at the university of Pennsylvania and was briefly as a physician in Philadelphia actively around then in new Orleans law to be studied.

After a short activity as a lawyer Walker became publisher of the new Orleans Crescent. 1849 it pulled to San Francisco, was further as a journalist active and three times in demands for duel was entangled. With two duels it was wounded. During its time in San Francisco it developed the idea to conquer parts of Latin America and to create of white north Americans controlled states (Filibustering).

Journey after Baja California and Sonora

1853 tried to put Walker with 45 men its project into practice to conquer and the Mexican areas Baja California and Sonora. He occupied La Paz, the capital of the sparsely populated Baja California, and proclaimed themselves to the president of the Republic OF Lower California. Three months later he explained the Baja California partially the larger Republic OF Sonora, although it never succeeded to him Sonora to conquer. Supply lacking and unexpectedly violent resistance of the Mexican government forced Walker fast to the retreat. In California it was placed because of illegal war guidance before court. The jury, affected by the ideas communist manifesto of the Destiny acquitted it after eight minutes consulting time of the accusations.

Ruler over Nicaragua

Walker was called in 1855 the broken off Nicaraguan civil war by the liberal a war party to assistance. To 4. It stung May with a mercenary troop of 57 men despite prohibition of the US authorities from San Francisco in lake. He transferred rapidly power to Nicaragua and prevailed as a commander in chief of the army by the puppet government of Patricio Rivas. Despite the obvious illegitimacy of this enterprise US president Franklin Pierce Walker recognized to 20. May 1856 as a legitimate ruler of Nicaragua on. Walker hired further Europeans and Amerikaner on around also the four further independent centralAmerican States of Guatemala, El Salvador, to bring Honduras and Costa Rica under its force.

A controversy over the transit route from New York to San Francisco, leading by Nicaragua, led finally to the break between Walker and the US Government. Up to the opening of a continuous railway connection the fastest way from the US east coast led to California across Nicaragua. Passengers and freight were transported by ship from New York to the Nicaraguan Atlantic coast and far over the Rio San Juan up to the Nicaragua lake. After a short Landweg by Kutsche up to the Pacific coast the further transport took place by ship up to the American west coast.

The former Nicaraguan government had given the concession for this connection of the Accessory transit company controlled by Cornelius Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt had originally supported Walker, in hope for a stabilization of Nicaragua. Walker used alleged offences of the Accessory transit company around the concession to withdraw and Vanderbilts rival Cornelius K. Garrison and Charles Morgan give, the Walkers further military plans financially supported.

Vanderbilt successfully had pressure for the US Government to take the acknowledgment back of Walkers regime. In addition it supported an attempt of the Central American states under guidance Costa Ricas to cut Walkers off of supply routes.

After a choice without rival candidates Walker explained itself in July 1856 as the president of Nicaragua. Because of ever the situation more precarious becoming for him it looked for support with the inhabitants of the US-American Southern States. Many white expected the imminent end of the slavery, basis of their traditional restaurant way, in the USA. Walker represented its conquests as fight for the propagation of the slavery and explained Nicaragua Emanzipationsedikt of 1824 for invalid, with which the slavery had been abolished. Walkers popularity in the Southern States rose, but its army, weakened by a Choleraepidemie and numerous over runs, did not arrive against the coalition of the centralAmerican states supported by Vanderbilt.

On first May 1857 Walker of the US army resulted and into the USA was returned. With its arrival in new Orleans he was celebrated as a hero, brought the public opinion however against itself up, when that made the US-Navy responsible for its defeat. Six months later it undertook a further conquest attempt and of the US-Navy was arrested again and into the USA returned. In the public the legal standard of this arrest was controversially discussed.

The German author Alfred Neumann (* 15 October 1895 in sound castle; "† 3 October 1952 in Lugano) wrote the biographic novel between autumn 1941 and spring 1948 in the southCalifornia emigration "the pact ".

The Nicaraguan episode was filmed 1987 under the title "Walker "with OD Harris in the title part. Director Alex Cox was nominated on the Berlinale 1988 for the golden bear.

See also

• Panamerikanismus

Articles in category "William Walker (mercenary)"

We found here 15 articles.