Halsey, Walter N. (Walter Nelson)

Biography

Reverend Walter Nelson Halsey was born in 1864 in Chicago, Illinois. He enrolled at Lake Forest University in 1886 and became engaged to Anna McKee in the same year. The couple was unable to marry until Walter graduated from LFU in 1889. After their marriage, they lived in Ashton, Illinois, where Walter served as principal of Ashton schools. They raised six children: George Clinton, Mary McKee, Walter William, Charlotte Eleanor, Cornelia Helene, and Elizabeth Evertson. The family moved frequently due to the nature of Walter's career as an educator and minister. They lived in seven communities around Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska before setting in Omaha, Nebraska in 1902. In Omaha, Walter enrolled in and graduated from the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1902. He served as pastor of Third Presbyterian Church in Omaha for a time. In 1908, along with Dr. Daniel E. Jenkins, he founded the University of Omaha. Walter served as the entire mathematics staff for the university's first year, and served as the university's first Dean of Faculty from 1908 until 1918, when he was forced to retire due to health concerns. After his retirement, he was the supply pastor for Omaha-area Presbyterian congregations until he and Anna moved to Middleton, Illinois, and later Appleton, Wisconsin. Walter passed away during a visit to Omaha in 1943.

Found in 1 Collection or Record: