William Walker was a physician and lawyer who decided that practicing his professions in the United States was not enough. Instead, he organized private mercenary armies and invaded Latin American countries. He conquered parts of two nations, briefly ruled an entire country, and triggered a massive international war before facing a firing squad at the age of 36.
A Doctor, Lawyer, and Mercenary
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1824, Walker possessed intense ambition. He graduated from university at 14 and earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania by the age of 19. After studying in Europe, he changed career paths, moved to New Orleans, and became a lawyer and journalist.
He was a small man, standing just 5 feet 2 inches, or 157.5 centimeters, tall and weighing around 120 pounds, or 54.4 kilograms. In 1849, he moved to San Francisco, where he became involved in filibustering, the practice of raising private armies to capture foreign territory.
The Invasion of Mexico
In October 1853, Walker launched his first major military expedition. He sailed from San Francisco with 45 men to conquer the Mexican territories of Baja California and Sonora. He captured the capital of La Paz and declared himself the president of the Republic of Lower California.
The Mexican government sent forces to drive him out. Lacking supplies, Walker and his men were forced to retreat roughly 200 miles, or 321.8 kilometers, back to the United States border. He was put on trial in federal court for conducting an illegal war, but a sympathetic jury acquitted him in just eight minutes.
Seizing Control of Nicaragua
In 1855, Walker received a contract from the Democratic Party in Nicaragua to assist them in an ongoing civil war. He arrived with a force of 60 mercenaries, known as the Immortals. Walker quickly captured the city of Granada. By July 1856, he declared himself the President of Nicaragua.
United States President Franklin Pierce officially recognized Walker’s government. To attract support from the American South, Walker signed a decree reinstating slavery, which had been abolished in Nicaragua decades earlier. Furthermore, he established English as the official language and encouraged American immigration.
A Fatal Clash with a Tycoon
Walker made a critical error by seizing the properties of the Accessory Transit Company, a transportation business controlled by the wealthy American industrialist Cornelius Vanderbilt. In retaliation, Vanderbilt financed a coalition of armies from Costa Rica, Honduras, and other Central American nations to overthrow Walker. Facing defeat in 1857, Walker surrendered to the United States Navy and returned to America.
He launched multiple attempts to return to Central America. In 1860, he landed in Honduras, where the British Royal Navy captured him. The British authorities handed him over to the Honduran government. On September 12, 1860, a Honduran firing squad executed Walker in the coastal town of Trujillo.