Reverend Walter Colton | |
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| Born | May 7, 1797 Rutland County, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | January 22, 1851 (aged 53) |
| Resting place | Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Alcalde (mayor) of Monterey, California, newspaper editor and publisher, U.S. Navy chaplain |
Reverend Walter Colton (May 7, 1797 – January 22, 1851) was an American clergyman and writer from Vermont who served as the first American Alcalde (mayor) of Monterey, California. He worked as an editor for newspapers in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, as a chaplain in the United States Navy and as co-publisher of California's first newspaper, The Californian, in 1846. He wrote several books about his travels to California and Europe.