A conversation with Jerry at work about a book of U.S./Latin America foreign policy reminded me of William Walker, who in pre-Civil War years led more than one war of conquest in Mexico and Central America.
At one point, Walker declared himself the Ruler of Honduras, fatally crossed Vanderbilt family business contracts there, and tried in earnest to make Central America a slave-state confederacy to add to the U.S. South. Vanderbilt's wrath eventually led to the capture of Walker by the British navy, who turned him over to Honduran authorities all too happy to execute him by firing squad at age 36.
Check out the Wikipedia entry below.
William Walker (soldier) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The reason it's also interesting is because Jill used to work at William Walker Elementary School in Beaverton. I cannot find another William Walker that had enough national notoriety to have a school named after him in the 50's or 60's. Beaverton schools website and the school website are silent on the issue.
So is this elementary school in Beaverton (with an amusingly ironic enrollment predominance of Hispanic students) named after a classic jingoist/imperialist from the U.S. that tried to expand the evil of U.S. slavery, in part as a failed attempt to save his own neck?
At one point, Walker declared himself the Ruler of Honduras, fatally crossed Vanderbilt family business contracts there, and tried in earnest to make Central America a slave-state confederacy to add to the U.S. South. Vanderbilt's wrath eventually led to the capture of Walker by the British navy, who turned him over to Honduran authorities all too happy to execute him by firing squad at age 36.
Check out the Wikipedia entry below.
William Walker (soldier) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The reason it's also interesting is because Jill used to work at William Walker Elementary School in Beaverton. I cannot find another William Walker that had enough national notoriety to have a school named after him in the 50's or 60's. Beaverton schools website and the school website are silent on the issue.
So is this elementary school in Beaverton (with an amusingly ironic enrollment predominance of Hispanic students) named after a classic jingoist/imperialist from the U.S. that tried to expand the evil of U.S. slavery, in part as a failed attempt to save his own neck?
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