Claxton Walkers Bio

Claxton Walker is the founder and namesake of Claxton Walker & Associates. Born in 1924 Claxton was the descendant of at least four generations of Walkers who have been engaged in construction, real estate, and related services in the greater Washington DC area. We suspect a direct descent even further back in the line of builders, to Isaac Walker, who escaped English prosecution by fleeing to colonial Maryland from Scotland in 1742. Isaac hid in the Maryland hills and was the builder of Toping Castle (named after their ancestral home in Scotland) near the site of what is now Capital Cadillac in Beltsville, Maryland. The remnants of that home stood until the 1950’s.   Isaac Walker’s grave overlooks the beltway from the Kenilworth Avenue exit ramp, where it is attended by the Daughters of the American Revolution in honor of his service in the Revolutionary War as a lieutenant.

            Isaac was prolific. Builders with the Walker last name have been building in Washington DC, Prince Georges County, and Montgomery County, actually the entire Mid-Atlantic, ever since. Many of the original houses along Independence and Constitution Avenues were built by Walker ancestors. They once owned a lumber yard on the site near what is now the Gangplank Marina and a brick factory in Alexandria, mining the marine clays that still plague the foundations in that area of town. Their bricks were used to build much of Georgetown and old Alexandria.

            Claxton’s grandfather, John C. Walker was a builder and developer at the time Chevy Chase was being founded and built some of the surrounding developments. He built Columbia and Chevy Chase Country clubs.   Claxton’s father John Curtis Walker was also a developer in Bethesda and was the Chief Appraiser for Herbert Hoover in which capacity he appraised all the land that eventually became Hoover Dam.

             Claxton, known as “Clacky” or “Captain Clack” to most of us, was raised in Chevy Chase on West Lennox Street and attended BCC, Augusta Military Academy, and Landon. He left Landon two months before graduation to join the Marines in 1942. As a Marine he was on the beachheads of Iwo Jima, Saipan, and Tinian. When the war ended he attended the University of Maryland and obtained a degree in Industrial Arts and education. After a short stint as a teacher and Athletic Director at Longfellow High School in Edgemore, Claxton started his construction company to support his growing family. Claxton moved to Potomac in 1956 and started “Claxton Walker Builder”. The descendant of that company still exists in Potomac today as “DeMarne & Day”.

            All of this background came to a head in the late 60’s in the atmosphere of what Clack called “Naderism”, a movement or an environment in which the public was demanding consumer protection, and was willing to pay for it. He and a small group of entrepreneurs, including John Heyn of Baltimore, organized a new industry as a specialty. And thus the Home Inspection industry was born.   This group of entrepreneurs formed a professional society, “The American Society of Home Inspectors” now known simply as ASHI. The associates of Claxton Walker & Associates populated the early hierarchy of ASHI producing a Code of Ethics and a Standards of Practice. ASHI today has thousands of certified members and is the pre-eminent source of certification, standards, and education for the industry.

            Claxton started his inspection company in the late 1960’s incorporating into Continental Inspection Company, DBA Claxton Walker & Associates, in 1974. Competitors have come and gone but we are the oldest continually operated and owned inspection company in the Mid-Atlantic and we suspect in the entire United States.

            During his tenure Claxton trained 100s of inspectors, many of whom still populate inspection companies across the country. He wrote 100s of articles for the Washington Post home section, and he authored two books Buying Your Home and Wage the Energy War at Home. He was also a consulting editor for the Time Life series on home repair and remodeling.

A distinct and rigid company culture was fostered by Claxton that still governs the company today.

The paramount company principles are:

            Client first. The interest of our clients comes first under the belief that a strong client base is the key to longevity. In an industry where pressures often exist to bias a finding no such bias is tolerated here. The same sense of independence that led Isaac Walker into the revolutionary war lives on here.

            Professionalism. In an industry that for most of its existence was entirely self regulated, and is even now regulated only by loosely enforced State regulations, there is a critical need for a set of standards to govern an Inspector’s actions. Specific procedures are followed on every job. Every inspector is expected to obtain certification from ASHI and exceed its minimum requirements. Continuing education, as a teacher or student, is a routine procedure and the sharing of knowledge is considered the purpose of our existence.

            Dedication. Inspectors are expected to be dedicated to the profession, the company, and the client base. We do not tolerate muddling through. Inspectors are expected to be self motivated and interested in the technical issues and are expected to perform to the best of their abilities every time out. The biggest difference in this company and others will always be that we will never give in to the pressure to just do the minimum.
Those of you who knew Claxton and know our company also know the truth of the above statements. Claxton Walker died in 2006 at his home on the Chesapeake Bay and, per his wishes, his ashes were spread on the bay during an outgoing tide.
The illustration is an early view of southwest DC looking down from Capitol Hill with the Potomac River in the background. The stacks of lumber are visible in the mid ground.