Francis E. Walter

Francis Eugene Walter (May 26 1894 – May 31 1963) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Francis Walter was born in Easton, Pennsylvania. He attended Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and George Washington University and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. During both World War I and World War II he served in the air service of the United States Navy. He was the director of the Broad Street Trust Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and of the Easton National Bank in Easton, Pennsylvania. From 1928 to 1933 he was the Solicitor of Northampton County, Pennsylvania. He was a delegate to the 1928 Democratic National Convention. He was elected as a Democrat to the 73rd United States Congress and served until his death in Washington, D.C. Walter is best known for the McCarran-Walter Act, passed over President Truman's veto in 1952, which continued the racist quota system based on the national origin of immigrants introduced in 1924 and allowed the United States government to deport and bar from entry those identified as subversives, particularly members and former members of the Communist Party. A noted immigration historian has characterized Walter's views as "reactionary and racist."^[1] A strong anti-Communist, Walter went on to serve as chairman of the United States House Un-American Activities Committee during the 84th through 88th Congresses. Walter also served as a director of the Pioneer Fund, a foundation best known for its advocacy of IQ variation among races. Walter appeared in a central role in the 1960s-era U.S. government anti-Communist propaganda film Operation Abolition. Historical footage of Walter also appears in the 1990 documentary film Berkeley in the Sixties.. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

References

Sources

• Francis E. Walter at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• The Political Graveyard