Francis E. Walter | |
|---|---|
 Walter as a congressman in 1939 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania | |
| In office March 4, 1933 – May 31, 1963 | |
| Preceded by | J. Banks Kurtz |
| Succeeded by | Fred B. Rooney |
| Constituency | 21st district (1933–1945) 20th district (1945–1953) 15th district (1953–1963) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1894-05-26)May 26, 1894 Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | May 31, 1963(1963-05-31) (aged 69) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
Francis Eugene Walter (May 26, 1894 – May 31, 1963) was aDemocratic member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania. He was a member of theHouse Un-American Activities Committee from 1951 to 1963, serving as chair of that committee for the last nine of those years. He wanted to minimize immigration and was largely responsible for theMcCarran–Walter Act of 1952, which kept the old quotas but also opened up many new opportunities for legal immigration to the United States.
Francis E. Walter was born inEaston, Pennsylvania. He attendedLehigh University,George Washington University andGeorgetown University.
During bothWorld Wars I andII, Walter was in the air service of theUnited States Navy. He was the director of theBroad Street Trust Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and of theEaston National Bank in Easton. From 1928 to 1933 he was the Solicitor ofNorthampton County, Pennsylvania. He was a delegate to the1928 Democratic National Convention. He was elected as a Democrat to the73rd United States Congress and served until his death in Washington, D.C. In 1947–8, he served on theHerter Committee.[1]
Walter is best known for theMcCarran-Walter Act, passed over President Truman's veto in 1952, which, while it opened naturalization to Asian immigrants for the first time, continued the immigration quota system based on national origin introduced in 1924, and allowed the U.S. government to deport and/or bar from re-entry those identified as subversives, particularly members and former members of theCommunist Party. In 1944, he presented President Roosevelt with a letter openermade of an arm bone of a fallen Japanese soldier.[2]
Walter's views were regarded by some as "reactionary and racist" and this was highlighted in his exchanges with Paul Robeson's HUAC meeting.[3] A staunchanti-Communist, he served as chairman of theHouse Un-American Activities Committee during the84th through88th Congresses. Walter also served as a director of thePioneer Fund, a foundation best known for its advocacy ofIQ variation among races.
Walter appeared in a central role in the 1960s-era U.S. government anti-Communist propaganda filmOperation Abolition.[4][5][6][7] Historical footage of Walter also appears in the 1990 documentary filmBerkeley in the Sixties.
Walter died in 1963, aged 69, fromleukemia and was interred atArlington National Cemetery.[8]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 21st congressional district 1933–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 20th congressional district 1945–1953 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 15th congressional district 1953–1963 | Succeeded by |
