Walter Jenkins

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Walter W. Jenkins (March 23, 1918 - November 23, 1985) was a long-time top aide to United States President Lyndon B. Johnson. A notorious sexual scandal shortly before the 1964 presidential election ended his career.

A native of Jolly, Texas, Jenkins began working for fellow Texan Johnson in 1939, when Johnson was a United States Representative. For most of the next 25 years, Jenkins served as Johnson's top administrative assistant, as Johnson rose from Representative to Senator to Vice-President of the United States to President of the United States. From 1941 until 1945, he served in the United States Army.

His career with Johnson ended in October 1964, when Washington, DC police arrested Jenkins during a homosexual liaison at a YMCA. The arrest raised questions about whether Jenkins had been blackmailed, but Johnson's opponent in the 1964 presidential election, Barry Goldwater, chose not to make those a campaign issue.

After leaving Washington, Jenkins worked as a management consultant and ran a construction company in Austin, Texas. He remained a friend of the Johnson family.

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