James Backhouse Walker Index: University of Tasmania Collection

James Backhouse Walker, a lawyer, was a foundation member of the University Council and later Vice-Chancellor 1898-9. He was formerly a member of the Tasmanian Council of Education and one of the foremost of those striving to found a University. In his personal letters to his family and friends amongst the Walker family papers (Walker Papers Uni.Tas. Deposited Archives W.9) he often referred to his aims for a University and he wrote a 7 page statement of the possible structure of the University, but he doubted whether it could be more than an examining body with no endowment and limited funds. He himself did much of the drafting of the University Act and the revisions of the Act. Indeed he wrote that he was doing most of the work himself. After the foundation of the University Council Walker continued to do most of the work of the Council, especially in drafting statutes and regulations. He also wrote personally to Associates of Arts of the Council of Education to ask them to become members of the Senate and he encouraged graduate friends to apply for degrees of the University ad eundem gradum to form a Senate as the body of the new University. These papers, filed with the Registrar's records, include Walker's official correspondence on University Council matters, notes of meetings, comments, drafts of regulations, news cuttings etc. From University Collection UT12