James L. Walker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 1845 Manchester, United Kingdom |
| Died | 2 April 1904 (aged 58) Mexico |
| Pen name | Tak Kak |
| Occupation | Writer, philosopher, physician, publisher, journalist, educator, lawyer |
| Nationality | British-American |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Subject | Political philosophy |
| Literary movement | Egoist anarchism Individualist anarchism |
| Notable works | The Philosophy of Egoism |
James L. Walker (June 1845 – April 2, 1904), sometimes known by the pen name Tak Kak, was an American individualist anarchist of the Egoist school, born in Manchester, United Kingdom.[1]
Walker was one of the main contributors to Benjamin Tucker's Liberty. He worked out Egoism on his own some years before encountering the Egoist writings of Max Stirner, and was surprised with the similarities.[2] He published the first twelve chapters of Philosophy of Egoism in the May 1890 to September 1891 issues of Egoism.[3] It was first published in book form by his widow Katharine in 1905 with the assistance of Egoism editors Henry and Georgia Replogle, the former of whom contributed prefatory remarks and a biographical sketch of Walker.[4]
Walker was a physician by trade, but at varying times had also practiced law, taught at colleges, and been a newspaper publisher and editor. He spent most of his latter years residing in Mexico, having been lured to Monterrey by promises of patronage to start a Spanish-English daily newspaper there. When these promises eventually fell through, he nevertheless took it upon himself to publish a weekly English-language newspaper for several years before taking up medicine again. Intending to return to the United States after a bout with yellow fever in 1904, his travels through Mexico inadvertently brought him into contact with a local smallpox epidemic. Walker died on April 2 after being hospitalized against his will by local authorities.[5]
- ^ Paul Avrich, Anarchist Portraits, Princeton, 1988, p. 154.
- ^ McElroy, Wendy. The Debates of Liberty. Lexington Books. 2003. pp. 54–55.
- ^ McElroy, Wendy. The Debates of Liberty. Lexington Books. 2003. p. 55.
- ^ James L. Walker, The Philosophy of Egoism. Katharine Walker, Denver, 1905.
- ^ Henry Replogle, in James L. Walker's The Philosophy of Egoism. Katharine Walker, Denver, 1905, p. 69-76.