Gerald Walpin (September 1, 1931 – June 24, 2016) was an American lawyer and author.
[ He served as the ]Inspector General
An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general".
Australia
The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...
of the Corporation for National and Community Service
AmeriCorps (officially the Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS) is an independent agency of the United States government that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of stipended volunteer work prog ...
(CNCS) from January 2007 until June 2009, when he was removed by U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
.
Personal life
Walpin was born September 1, 1931, in New York City, and graduated from the City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...
in 1952. He attended Yale Law School
Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...
, where he was managing editor
A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication.
United States
In the United States, a managing edito ...
of the ''Yale Law Journal
The ''Yale Law Journal'' (YLJ), known also as the ''Yale Law Review'', is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students ...
'', graduating cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
in 1955. Walpin was married, with three children and six grandchildren.[
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Career
From 1957 to 1960, he served in the United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
Judge Advocate General, with a rank of lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
.[
Walpin was an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of Special Prosecutions for the ]United States Attorney
United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...
for the Southern District of New York for five years, after which he went on to become a senior partner at the New York-based law firm Rosenman & Colin LLP—and then of counsel at its successor Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP—for a combined total of over 40 years.[
From 2002 to 2004, Walpin was president of the ]Federal Bar Council
The Federal Bar Council is a not-for-profit specialty bar association whose membership consists of lawyers and judges who practice primarily in federal courts within the Second Circuit. The Second Circuit covers the following districts:
District ...
, an association of attorneys that practice in the courts within the Second Circuit. He received the American Inns of Court
American Inns of Court (AIC) are designed to improve the skills, professionalism and ethics of the bench and bar. An American Inn of Court is an amalgam of judges, lawyers, and in some cases, law professors and law students. Each Inn meets approx ...
Professionalism Award in 2003 for outstanding professionalism as an attorney and for mentoring younger lawyers.[
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Inspector General of CNCS
Appointment by George W. Bush
On August 3, 2006, President George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
nominated Walpin as Inspector General
An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general".
Australia
The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...
(IG) of Corporation for National and Community Service
AmeriCorps (officially the Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS) is an independent agency of the United States government that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of stipended volunteer work prog ...
(CNCS), an office in the CNCS charged with conducting independent and object audits, investigations and inspections of the CNCS and its service programs, which include AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps (officially the Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS) is an independent agency of the United States government that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of stipended volunteer work prog ...
, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) and Senior Corps
AmeriCorps Seniors is a United States government program run by the agency Corporation for National and Community Service. The program engages volunteers aged 55 and older to serve their communities. There are over 200,000 volunteers nationwide. ...
. After he was confirmed by the U.S. 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 powe ...
on December 9, 2006, Walpin was sworn in on January 8, 2007.[
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Americorps investigations
After its May 20, 2009 meeting that discussed Walpin's report criticizing the St. HOPE Academy settlement
Settlement may refer to:
*Human settlement, a community where people live
*Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building
*Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction
*Settlement (fina ...
agreement and Walpin's forthcoming report questioning the validity of the largest AmeriCorps program—the Research Foundation of City University of New York
The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...
(RFCUNY) New York City Teaching Fellows
The NYC Teaching Fellows is an alternative certification program that focuses on education quality in New York City public schools by attracting mid-career professionals, recent graduates, and retirees from all over the country. The program pro ...
program, the bipartisan CNCS Board of Directors
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
unanimously requested that the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
review Walpin's conduct as Inspector General.[
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Removal and lawsuit
Walpin was suspended with pay on June 11, 2009, by President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
, who on the same day advised the U.S. Congress that he would remove Walpin from office, effective 30 days from then, because Obama no longer had "the fullest confidence in" him as Inspector General.[
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* ] and on June 16, 2009, the White House submitted a letter with additional information on the reasons Walpin was removed. However Republicans Chuck Grassley
Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as the president pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate, and the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States sen ...
and Darrell Issa have asserted that Walpins firing was politically motivated due to the fact that Walpin was investigating Kevin Johnson Kevin Johnson may refer to:
Entertainment
*Kevin Johnson (singer) (born 1942), Australian singer
* Kevin Johnson (ventriloquist) (born 1970), ventriloquist on ''America's Got Talent''
* Kevin Royal Johnson (born 1961), American singer-songwriter a ...
, a friend and supporter of Barrack Obama for sexual assault and other allegations during the time he was fired by Obama.
On July 17, 2009, Walpin filed a civil lawsuit in federal court seeking his reinstatement, arguing that his removal violated the 2008 Inspector General Act. On July 20, 2009, Walpin issued a statement saying the primary reason for his lawsuit was to protect future Inspectors General.
On October 19, 2009, the chairman of the Integrity Committee of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) notified Walpin that his May 20, 2009, response to an April 29, 2009 complaint about him by acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence G. Brown had sufficiently and satisfactorily addressed the matter and closed the complaint.
On June 17, 2010, U.S. District Court Judge Richard W. Roberts
Richard Warren Roberts (born 1953) is an inactive United States federal judge, Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Early life
Roberts was born in New York City, New York (state), ...
dismissed Walpin's suit.[
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Death
Gerald Walpin died on June 24, 2016, in a hospital after being hit by a sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive.
There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...
in Manhattan while crossing at Lexington Avenue and East 79th Street.[
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walpin, Gerald
1931 births
2016 deaths
City College of New York alumni
Pedestrian road incident deaths
Road incident deaths in New York City
United States Air Force officers
Yale Law School alumni
20th-century American lawyers