Phelan on passing of former county Republican Party chair: 'Texas has lost an extraordinary icon in GOP politics'

Dr. Wally Wilkerson, a Houston-area physician who earned the distinction as Texas' longest-serving county Republican Party chair, died at the age of 91, per a report from Houston FOX affiliate KRIV. 

KRIV reported that State Rep. Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) announced Wilkerson's death on Twitter. Phelan, the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, remembered Wilkerson for his impact on conservative politics in the predominantly red Lone Star State.

"Texas has lost an extraordinary icon in GOP politics, Dr. Wally Wilkerson," Phelan tweeted. "He served in Montgomery County as party chairman for 50+ years, was a Navy veteran and impacted many lives through his medical practice. Dr. Wally’s work and legacy will always be remembered."

Waco ABC affiliate KXXV reported that Wilkerson died on Friday (April 29) from complications of a recent procedure.

Born in the Central Texas city of Marlin in 1930, Wilkerson was a graduate of Texas A&M University and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, according to the station.

He found his way to Southeast Texas where he began practicing medicine in Conroe.

KXXV reported that Wilkerson was instrumental in changing the political landscape of Montgomery County, essentially delivering it to the GOP from the Democratic Party.

"When I started promoting the virtues of the Republican Party in Montgomery County, we were a blue county with no Republican officeholders," the physician recalled three years ago, per the station.

According to KXXV, Wilkerson's work with the GOP was well-known to the point former George W. Bush administration staffer Karl Rove dubbed him, "King Wally."

Wilkerson last held the post as head of the Montgomery County Republican Party in 2020.

U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands), whose congressional district includes Montgomery County, called Wilkerson a "giant."

“Dr. Wally Wilkerson went to be with his Neddie Jane [and] the Lord after a remarkable lifetime of service to his community, state [and] nation," Brady said in a tweet. "Beloved. Kind. Father of GOP Party in Montgomery County. Leaves a legacy within each of us blessed to know him."