View source for Bruce Walker (politician, born 1897)

{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{About|the NSW politician|his father, the NSW politician|Bruce Walker (politician, born 1870)}}
{{otherpeople5|Bruce Walker (disambiguation)|Ronald Walker (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}
'''(Ronald) Bruce Walker''' (7 December 1897 &ndash; 1981) was an Australian politician.
==Early life==
He was born at [[Windsor, New South Wales|Windsor]],<ref name="Bruce Walker Jr NSW Parl">{{Cite NSW Parliament |id=1597 |name=Mr Ronald Bruce Walker (1897-1981) |former=Yes |access-date=27 April 2019}}</ref> to Lucinda Isabel Rowthorn and [[Bruce Walker (politician, born 1870)|(Robert) Bruce Walker]], who was also a politician.<ref name="Bruce Walker NSW Parl">{{Cite NSW Parliament |id=1223 |name=Major Robert Bruce Walker (1870-1932) |former=Yes |access-date=27 April 2019}}</ref> Ronald attended [[Sydney Grammar School]] and was admitted as a solicitor in 1925. On 19 December 1923 he married Muriel Smith, with whom he had a son. He joined the family law firm, William Walker & Son, becoming a senior partner in 1932.<ref name="Bruce Walker Jr NSW Parl"/>
==Member of parliament==
In 1932 he succeeded his father in the [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly]] as the [[United Australia Party]] member for [[Electoral district of Hawkesbury|Hawkesbury]].<ref>{{Cite NSW election |year=1932 |district=Hawkesbury |accessdate=25 July 2020}}</ref> He was re-elected in 1935,<ref>{{Cite NSW election |year=1935 |district=Hawkesbury |accessdate=25 July 2020}}</ref> and 1938,<ref>{{Cite NSW election |year=1938 |district=Hawkesbury |accessdate=25 July 2020}}</ref> serving until 1941.<ref name="Bruce Walker Jr  NSW Parl"/>
==Conspiracy conviction==
In August 1939 he was arrested and charged with conspiracy to defraud members of the public in connection with the Scottish Loan and Finance Company of which he was a director.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17598538 |title=Arrest of MLA |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=17 August 1939 |accessdate=3 May 2019 |page=11 |via=Trove}}</ref> After a 36-day hearing in the [[Supreme Court of New South Wales|Supreme Court]] in 1941,<ref name="SMH 19 June 1941">{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17749199 |title=Conspiracy verdict |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=32,285 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=19 June 1941 |accessdate=3 May 2019 |page=8 |via=Trove}}</ref> in which Walker addressed the jury for 9 hours,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17742849 |title=Conspiracy charge: Walker in box |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=27 May 1941 |accessdate=3 May 2019 |page=5 |via=Trove}}</ref> Walker and one of his co-accused, solicitor Albert Levitus, were convicted.<ref name="SMH 19 June 1941"/> [[Percival Halse Rogers|Justice Sir Percival Halse Rogers]] sentenced Walker to three years imprisonment and Levitus to five years imprisonment.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article86064364 |title=Week to week |newspaper=[[Windsor and Richmond Gazette]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=27 June 1941 |accessdate=3 May 2019 |page=4 |via=Trove}}</ref> Walker was struck off the roll of solicitors in 1941.<ref name="Bruce Walker Jr  NSW Parl"/> He was released from prison in July 1943.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17856909 |title=Bruce Walker released |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=20 July 1943 |accessdate=3 May 2019 |page=7 |via=Trove}}</ref>
==Later life==
Walker became an estate agent and was elected an alderman of the [[Municipality of Windsor|Windsor Council]] in 1945.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169357267 |title=Former MLA as alderman |newspaper=[[Truth (Sydney newspaper)|Truth]] |date=1 July 1945 |accessdate=3 May 2019 |page=23 |via=Trove}}</ref>  Walker died in {{death year and age|1981|1897}}.<ref name="Bruce Walker Jr  NSW Parl"/>
==See also==
{{hlist|Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly|[[Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1932–1935|1932-1935]]|[[Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1935–1938|1935-1938]]|[[Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1938–1941|1938-1941]]}}
{{hlist|Results of the New South Wales state elections for Hawkesbury|[[Results of the 1932 New South Wales state election#Hawkesbury|1932]]|[[Results of the 1935 New South Wales state election#Hawkesbury|1935]]|[[Results of the 1938 New South Wales state election#Hawkesbury|1938]]}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
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{{succession box | title=Member for [[Electoral district of Hawkesbury|Hawkesbury]] | before=[[Bruce Walker (politician, born 1870)|Bruce Walker Sr]] | after=[[Frank Finnan]] | years=1932&ndash;1941}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Ronald}}
[[Category:1897 births]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:United Australia Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Australian solicitors]]
[[Category:Politicians from Sydney]]
[[Category:People educated at Sydney Grammar School]]
{{Australia-politician-stub}}