Johnnie Mac Walters

Johnnie McKeiver Walters (December 20, 1919 – June 24, 2014) was an American lawyer and civil servant who served as a United States Assistant Attorney General from 1969 to 1971 and the Commissioner of Internal Revenue from August 6, 1971, to April 30, 1973.

Early life and education He was born in Lydia, South Carolina and initially lived in a house without electricity or running water. He enrolled in Furman University in 1938, where he majored in economics and graduated in 1942. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces, mustering out as a First Lieutenant. He then entered the University of Michigan Law School, graduating in 1948.

Career He worked for five years in the office of the chief counsel for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). He then worked for Texaco in New York City before moving to Greenville, South Carolina, where he established a private practice as a tax attorney. Instead, Walters put the list in an envelope, sealed it, and locked in his safe, after obtaining permission to do nothing from his superior, Secretary of the Treasury George Shultz. Walters later commented, "By refusing to implement the request we preserved our tax system and also kept me out of jail."

Personal life He married Donna Hall, whom he met on his first day at the University of Michigan. They were married for 66 years and had four children. He died in Greenville at age 94.