David Lee Walters (born November 20, 1951) is an American politician who was the 24th
governor of Oklahoma
The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gove ...
from 1991 to 1995.
Born in
Canute, Oklahoma, Walters was a project manager for Governor
David Boren
David Lyle Boren (born April 21, 1941) is a retired American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as 21st governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and three terms in the United States Senate ...
and the youngest executive officer working for the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
Health Sciences Center. He also worked in commercial
real estate
Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...
. As governor, he increased education funding, but his term was marred by controversies that ended with him pleading guilty to a
misdemeanor
A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...
election violation. He did not seek re-election and was defeated in a
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
campaign for the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
. He is the
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of Walters Power International, a global provider of local power.
Early life
Walters was born near
Canute, Oklahoma, and graduated as
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...
from Canute High School in 1969.
[Burke, Bob.]
Walters, David Lee (1951- )
," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History. (accessed July 18, 2013) He earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
in 1973 and a master's degree in business administration from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in 1977.
He worked as the project manager for Governor
David Boren
David Lyle Boren (born April 21, 1941) is a retired American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as 21st governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and three terms in the United States Senate ...
and as the assistant and associate provost of the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
Health Sciences Center. At the age of 29, he was the youngest executive officer in the university’s history. In 1982, he joined The Burks Group, a commercial
real estate
Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...
company. He was appointed co-chairman of the governor's 100-member Reform Commission in 1984 and became the president of American Fidelity Property Company in 1985.
Governor of Oklahoma
In
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
, Walters was the
Democratic nominee for
governor of Oklahoma
The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gove ...
, but was defeated by Republican
Henry L. Bellmon, who returned to the governorship after completing his first term 20 years earlier.
On November 6, 1990 Walters was elected governor, carrying 75 of the state’s 77 counties. During his term education funding increased by approximately 30 percent and a $350 million
bond
Bond or bonds may refer to:
Common meanings
* Bond (finance), a type of debt security
* Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States
* Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemica ...
issue for
higher education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...
brought construction and renovation to every state college campus.
Walters planned on making the Blue Room, a large ceremonial hall in the
State Capitol
This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...
, into his office.
While in office he was accused of election violations in that he conspired to hide $18,000 dollars in campaign donations by attributing them to someone else. At the end of procedures, Governor Walters asked prosecutors what they wanted to end the rather lengthy process. An agreement was reached that the governor would plead guilty to a misdemeanor offense and pay a fine, in return for which his record would be expunged in twelve months. Though Walters claimed his innocence of the charges, he said it was in the best interest of the state and his family to accept the plea agreement. Twelve months later the charge was expunged from his record.
, Oklahoma Historical Society , Walters, David Lee (1951-)
/ref> He did not run for re-election in 1994, citing the pressure and negative publicity of political office, which he partly blamed for the suicide of his son in 1991.[
]
Cabinet
*Secretary of State - John Kennedy (1991-1995)
*Secretary of Agriculture - Gary Sherrer Gary Sherrer may refer to:
* Gary Sherrer (Oklahoma politician)
Gary Sherrer is an American Democratic politician from Oklahoma. Sherrer served two terms as Oklahoma Secretary of the Environment under Republican Governors Frank Keating (199 ...
(1991–1995)
*Secretary of Education - Sandy Garrett
Sandy Garrett is a retired American Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Garrett is the former Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction.
She was first elected to this office in 1990, and again in 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2 ...
(1991–1995)
*Secretary of Energy - Charles R. Nesbitt (1991–1995)
*Secretary of Human Resources - James Thomas (1991), Oscar B. Jackson Jr. (1991–1995)
*Secretary of Safety and Security - Robert Fitzpatrick (1991–1995)
*Secretary of Transportation - Delmas Ford (1991-1995)
*Secretary of Veterans Affairs - John Willis (1991-1995)
Senate campaign
In 2002, Walters was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
, but was defeated by incumbent Jim Inhofe
James Mountain Inhofe ( ; born November 17, 1934) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Oklahoma, a seat he was first elected to in 1994. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the U.S. Senate Commit ...
.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Walters, David
1951 births
Democratic Party governors of Oklahoma
Harvard Business School alumni
Living people
People from Washita County, Oklahoma
Oklahoma politicians convicted of crimes
University of Oklahoma alumni