Herbert Sanford Walters (November 17, 1891August 17, 1973) was a Democratic

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

from 1963 to 1964.

Early life and education

Walters was a native of

Jefferson County, Tennessee Jefferson County is an exurban County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 54,683. Its county seat is Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge. Jefferson Coun ...

. He was a graduate of the former Castle Heights Military Academy in

Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metropolit ...

and attended

Carson–Newman University Carson–Newman University is a private Baptist university in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Carson-Newman is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1851, the university enrolls about 2,500 studen ...

Jefferson City, Tennessee Jefferson City (originally named Mossy Creek) is a city in Jefferson County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Morristown Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census the population was 8,419. History Heading southwest along ...

and the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

Career

Walters earned his fortune as a highly successful contractor in roadbuilding. He became a prominent

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

er in

East Tennessee East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 count ...

. He served a term in the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

(1934 to 1936) prior to serving in the state cabinet as Tennessee Commissioner of Highways. Walters was appointed to the Senate on August 20, 1963 by

Tennessee Governor The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The governor is the only official in Tennessee state government who is directly elected by the voters of the entire state. The current governor is Bill Lee (Ten ...

Frank G. Clement Frank Goad Clement (June 2, 1920 – November 4, 1969) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 41st Governor of Tennessee from 1953 to 1959 and from 1963 to 1967. Inaugurated for the first time at age 32, he was the state's younge ...

, upon the death of Senator

Estes Kefauver Carey Estes Kefauver (; July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1939 to 1949 and in the Senate from 1949 until his d ...

. He was widely viewed as a much more

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

voice than Kefauver, who "was regarded one of the most liberal of Southern Democrats". Only three months shy of 72 when assuming office, Walters was immediately assumed to be a

caretaker Caretaker may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Caretaker'' (film), a 1963 adaptation of the play ''The Caretaker'' * ''The Caretakers'', a 1963 American film set in a mental hospital * Caretaker, a character in the 1974 film '' T ...

who would show no interest in running for the balance of Kefauver's term in 1964, which proved to be correct. Political observers felt that Clement took this action in part because he intended to run for the office himself in 1964, which also proved to be correct, but was unwilling to face the consequences of appointing himself to the office in the interim, which would also led to his succession as governor by

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Jared Maddux John Jared Maddux (July 20, 1911 – May 22, 1971) was a Tennessee politician. Career A member of the Tennessee State Senate, he was elected by his colleagues to serve as the 43rd Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee from 1953 to 1959 and again f ...

, an event which would have entailed additional consequences of its own. However, Clement failed to capture the Democratic nomination for the seat in the August 1964 Democratic

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

, losing to Congressman

Ross Bass Ross Bass (March 17, 1918January 1, 1993) was an American Congressman and United States Senator from Tennessee. Background Bass was the son of a circuit-riding Methodist minister in rural Giles County, attended the local public schools, and ...

. Walters served his time in the Senate rather quietly, very much in the shadow of the state's senior senator,

Albert Gore, Sr. Albert Arnold Gore (December 26, 1907 – December 5, 1998) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1953 to 1971. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a U.S. Representative fr ...

He supported most of the initiatives of Democratic

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

, who became President only three months after Walter's appointment to the Senate with the

assassination of John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was in the vehicle wit ...

. Walters voted against civil rights legislation, including the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...

. Walters' term of service in the Senate ended on November 3, 1964, immediately after the election of his successor,

, which is traditional with appointed senators who do not seek election. Walters also served as a trustee of the University of Tennessee. A biography of Walters, ''The Herbert Walters Story'' by author Howard Hill, was published at about the time of his Senate service. Walters is buried at Emma Jarnagin Cemetery in

Morristown, Tennessee Morristown is a city in and the county seat of Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States. Morristown also extends into Jefferson County on the western and southern ends. The city's population was recorded to be 30,431 at the 2020 United States cen ...

Walters State Community College Walters State Community College (abbreviated as WSCC, and commonly known as Walters State) is a public community college based in Morristown, Tennessee. It was founded in 1970 and is operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college was ...

in Morristown is named in his honor. The museum in Morristown's Rose Center is named after him.

References

External links

Herbert S. Walters Papers
, University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries {{DEFAULTSORT:Walters, Herbert S. 1891 births 1973 deaths Carson–Newman University alumni University of Tennessee alumni Democratic Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Democratic Party United States senators from Tennessee Burials in Tennessee 20th-century American politicians