Edmund Murton Walker

Edmund Murton Walker (October 5, 1877 – February 14, 1969) was a Canadian entomologist.

Born in Windsor, Ontario, Walker was the eldest son of Sir Byron Edmund Walker, after whom he was named.

After studying in Toronto and Berlin, Walker joined the Department of Biology at the University of Toronto in 1904, rising to become the head of zoology in 1934. He was also Professor of entomology in the university's department of Zoology from 1906 until his retirement in 1948.

In 1913, Walker and T.B. Kurata discovered a new order of insects, the Grylloblattaria (nowadays often ranked as suborder Grylloblattodea) on Sulphur Mountain, Alberta.

He founded the invertebrate collection at the Royal Ontario Museum (which his father had helped create) in 1914, and served in various directorships at the museum - Assistant Director from 1918 - 1931, and Honorary Director from 1931 - 1969.

In 1943, he married Norma Ford (an ex-student).

He was awarded the Royal Society of Canada's Flavelle medal in 1960, and was awarded an honorary degree from Carleton University. A scholarship named after him is offered by the University of Toronto.

Walker also had many published works, including the three volume Odonata of Canada and Alaska, considered a definitive textbook on the topic, and was editor of the Canadian Entomologist journal from 1910 to 1920.

Walker died in Toronto in 1969.

References

• "Champlain Society - An Interview with Conrad Heidenreich" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 18, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-05. 
• "The Canadian Encyclopedia (biography)". Retrieved 2008-06-05. 
• "The Canadian Encyclopedia (biography of Norma Ford Walker)". Retrieved 2008-06-05. 
• "Royal Society of Canada, Flavelle Medal winners". Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-05. 
• "National Gallery of Canada - Walker book plates". Retrieved 2008-06-05.