Ross Graham Walker was born in Athens, Michigan on August 31, 1891. He received his BA from the University of Michigan in 1920 and his MA (Hon.) from Harvard University in 1938. After graduating from the University of Michigan, Walker taught economics at his alma mater until 1922. Following this, he became a professor of commerce at the University of Iowa for four years. Walker joined the faculty at Harvard Business School in 1926. During his time at HBS, Walker engaged in a substantial amount of consulting work in the fields of cost analysis and control, particularly in the woolen and cotton textiles industries. In 1931, Walker took a leave of absence from HBS to become treasurer of the Hamilton Woolen Company . Walker returned to HBS in 1936 as Professor of Business Administration.
Walker married Virginia Stephanie Look in 1922. The couple had two children, Martha Lura (Mrs. Charles Warren Clift) and David Griswold Walker.
From the guide to the Ross G. Walker papers, 1933-1960, (Baker Library, Harvard Business School)
