Walker, L. C. (Louis Carlisle), 1875-1963

Muskegon, Michigan equipment manufacturer.

Louis C. Walker was an internationally known industrialist and philanthropist from Muskegon, Michigan. He was born January 8, 1875 in Farmington, Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1896. In 1899, he co-founded with Arch W. Shaw the Shaw-Walker Company, manufacturers of office furniture, equipment, and supplies. He became sole owner of the company in 1902 when Shaw retired. The company, which began with the manufacture of a box to file 3 by 5 cards, grew quickly with an ever expanded product line. These included a payroll sytem, the 29-inch high office desks, fire-proof file cabinets, and various supplies for libraries.

More than a businessman, Walker played a key role in the economic and civic life of the city of Muskegon. He was officer of the Hackley Union National Bank from 1929 to 1958. He helped to organize the Muskegon Federal Savings and Loan Association, serving as its president until 1948. Interested also in the city's schools, Walker was a member of the Muskegon Board of Education from 1917 to 1927, and was a supporter while on the board of the Hackley Library and the Hackley Art Gallery.

A lifelong Republican, Walker served his party at the local and state level. He was a delegate to the GOP national conventions in 1936 and 1948. As an intimate of Herbert Hoover, Walker was named vice-chairman of the President's job-sharing recovery program in 1932, and in 1949 he was a member of the citizens' committee for reorganization of the executive branch of government which sought adoption of the Hoover Commission report.

Walker's thought son job sharing were in part based on the ideas proposed in his book, Distributed leisure wherein he discussed the concept that leisure was a product of industry as well as manufactured items. His work-sharing ideas were intended to alleviate some of the joblessness of the depression years. The concept received wide recognition and Walker was appointed to a national committee to discuss the applicability of job sharing on a national level.

Walker was a member of numerous other civic organizations, including the Greater Muskegon Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Muskegon War Chest campaigns. Among his many gifts to his adoped community was the L.C. Walker Sports Arena. Walker died October 5, 1963.