Walker, Thomas Barlow

Walker, Thomas Barlow

(1840–1928) businessman, collector, philanthropist; born in Xenia, Ohio. He had little formal education, sold grindstones, moved to Minneapolis, and eventually became a wealthy lumberman. He used his fortune to benefit art, religious, and charity institutions. Among other philanthropic projects, he established what became Minneapolis's Walker Art Center in 1879, where he housed his eclectic art collection.