Charls Walker
Charls Edward Walker | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 December 1923 Graham, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | 2 June 2015 (aged 91) Rockville, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Government official, lobbyist, political consultant, economist |
| Years active | 1961–2015 |
| Known for | Under Secretary of the Treasury (1969–1972), Deputy Secretary of the Treasury (1973), founder of ACCF |
Charls Edward Walker (December 24, 1923 – June 2, 2015) held the position of Under Secretary at the United States Department of the Treasury between 1969 and 1972, subsequently serving as Deputy Secretary of the Treasury in 1973 during John Connally's tenure.
Personal life, education, and early career
A native of Graham, Texas, Walker married Harmolyn Hart in 1949. He obtained both his bachelor's degree and MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, followed by a Ph.D. in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1955. Prior to entering government service, he was a faculty member at the University of Texas and then worked as an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. He also served as an executive at Republic National Bank of Dallas. In 1961, Walker was appointed Executive Vice President of the American Bankers Association, a position he maintained until 1969. He passed away due to heart disease on June 2, 2015, in Rockville, Maryland at the age of 91.
Lobbying and political consulting
Following his departure from the Nixon administration, Walker launched his own consulting enterprise. President Nixon commented that Walker would persist in his efforts "but now making money at it." His clientele featured prominent companies including General Motors, Gulf Oil, and leading airlines. To support his pro-business initiatives, Walker founded the ACCF.
In 1977, while defending the fully tax-deductible "three-martini lunch," he highlighted the challenge of establishing expense limits that would be fair across varied locations such as small-town Texas compared to New York City.
Walker provided counsel to John Connally during his 1980 presidential bid and later aligned with Ronald Reagan's campaign after Connally's withdrawal. He asserted that he authored a crucial memo promoting tax reductions and decreased government spending alongside enhanced military investment. The ACCF under his leadership played a significant role in achieving substantial corporate tax cuts within Reagan's 1981 economic reforms.
Colleague Mark Bloomfield characterized him as "the classic cigar-smoking super-lobbyist," recognized for his forceful approach; President Lyndon B. Johnson once described him as "an S.O.B. with elbows," a phrase Walker accepted as a compliment.