Prentiss Walker
| Prentiss Lafayette Walker | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 4th district |
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In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1967 |
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| Preceded by | W. Arthur Winstead |
| Succeeded by | Gillespie V. Montgomery |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 23, 1917 Taylorsville, Smith County Mississippi, USA |
| Died | June 5, 1998 (aged 80) Magee,Mississippi |
| Resting place | Zion Hill Cemetery in Magee, Mississippi |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Dimple Walker (née Howell) |
| Alma mater | Mississippi College |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Prentiss Lafayette Walker (August 23, 1917 – June 5, 1998) was a farmer, businessman and politician from the U.S. state of Mississippi. In 1964, he became the first Republican in the 20th century to be elected to the United States House of Representatives from his home state.
Prentiss Walker Lake (originally called Ross Barnett Lake) near Mize is named in his honor.
Walker was born in Taylorsville in Smith County in south central Mississippi. He attended public schools in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and in Taylorsville and Mize, also in Smith County. In 1936, he attended Southern Baptist-affiliated Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi.
During World War II, he served in the United States Army. After his military duties, he worked as a chicken farmer in his native Smith County. Walker became president of Walker Egg Farms, Inc., in Mize. From 1937 to 1963, he was the owner of Walker’s Supermarket. In 1960, Walker served on the executive committee of the Mississippi Game and Fish Commission under Governor Ross Barnett.
In 1964, Walker ran as a Republican in Mississippi's 4th congressional district, in the state's northeastern portion. He unseated 11-term incumbent W. Arthur Winstead by some seven thousand votes, an eleven-point margin. It was the first Republican breakthrough in Mississippi since Elza Jeffords served a term in Congress from 1883 to 1885.
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