Walter Walsh
Encyclopedia
Colonel Walter Rudolph Walsh (born May 4, 1907) is a former FBI
agent, USMC
shooting instructor and Olympic
shooter. Walsh joined the FBI in 1934, serving during the Public enemy
era, and was involved in several high-profile FBI cases, including the capture of Arthur Barker
and the killing of Al Brady
. He served in the Pacific theatre during World War II
with the Marine Corps and, after a brief return to the FBI, served as a shooting instructor with the Marine Corps until his retirement in the 1970s.
A high profile shooter, Walsh won numerous tournaments within the FBI and the Marine Corps, as well as nationally, and participated in the 1948 Summer Olympics
. He received awards for his marksmanship until the age of 90 and served as the coach of the Olympic shooting team until 2000. At the FBI's 100th anniversary celebration he was recognized as the oldest living former agent and noted as being a year older than the organization itself. Aside from some hearing and memory loss, he remained physically fit at his 102nd birthday.
. After graduating from Rutgers Law School
, Walsh joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation
in 1934. Later that year, he discovered the body of gangster Baby Face Nelson
, who died of injuries sustained in a gun battle with the police in Barrington, Illinois
on November 27, 1934. Nelson had killed two FBI agents prior to fleeing the scene, wounded, and later died at his wife's side. The FBI, unaware of Nelson's death, continued a broad search for him, which included several home raids, through the night and into the following day. The search was not called off until a tip led them to Nelson's body, which was lying in a ditch in what is now Skokie, Illinois
. He was also with the team that captured criminal Arthur Barker
, son of gangster Ma Barker
, in Chicago
in 1935 and was later involved in tracking Public Enemy
Number One Al Brady
in 1937. On October 12 of that year, he was with the group of FBI agents who ambushed and killed Brady in a shoot-out at a Bangor, Maine
sporting goods store. While waiting for Brady to arrive, he acted as a clerk in the store for several days and arrested Brady Gang member James Dalhover. As the operation leader, Walsh's job had been to alert thirteen other agents, as well as over 30 other state and local policemen, of any gang member's arrival by pulling a cord on the window. As they were interrogating Dalhover in the story Clarence Lee Shaffer, Jr., another gang member, entered the building and began firing at the agents. While arresting Dalhover, Walsh had taken bullets to his hand, shoulder and right chest, but quickly returned to work.
Walsh was employed with the FBI until 1942 when, as a Reserve Marine Lieutenant
, he took a leave to serve with the United States Marine Corps
during World War II
. After he left, Hoover refused to allow any more active agents to be members of any military reserve. Walsh fought in the Pacific
Theater
, specifically on Okinawa
and in North China
. In one incident, he and his comrades were pinned down by a sniper, which Walsh was able to kill from 90 yards away with a single shot to the torso from a M1911 pistol. He eventually obtained the rank of Colonel
and returned to the FBI for two years from 1946–1947. In total, during his tenure with the agency, he killed between 11 and 17 bandits.
. In 1939, at Camp Ritchie, he set the world record in pistol
shooting with 198 points out of a possible 200 and won the individual eastern regional pistol championships in 1939 and 1940 and placing second in 1941 after leading for most of the tournament. He placed 12th in the Men's Free Pistol, 50 metres
competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics
in London
, England
. At the 1952 ISSF World Shooting Championships
, he won a gold medal with the United States team in the 25 m Center-Fire Pistol
event and a silver in the individual version of that event. After winning many tournaments within the United States Marine Corps
, he became commander of their marksmanship training, a position that he held for many years, until he retired in the 1970s. In total, he was selected five times for the All-American Pistol Shooting Team.
. At the 100th anniversary celebration of the FBI, it was noted that Walsh was older than the agency itself. He celebrated his 102nd birthday in 2009 and was still able to use the stairs in his three-story home in Arlington County, Virginia
.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
agent, USMC
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
shooting instructor and Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
shooter. Walsh joined the FBI in 1934, serving during the Public enemy
Public Enemy
Public Enemy is an American hip hop group consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and his S1W group, DJ Lord , and Music Director Khari Wynn...
era, and was involved in several high-profile FBI cases, including the capture of Arthur Barker
Arthur Barker
Arthur R. "Doc" Barker was an American criminal, the son of Ma Barker and a member of the Barker-Karpis gang along with Alvin Karpis....
and the killing of Al Brady
Al Brady
Al Brady was an Indiana-born armed robber and murderer who became one of the FBI's "Public Enemies" in the 1930s. He and an accomplice were shot dead in an ambush by FBI agents in downtown Bangor, Maine, in 1937...
. He served in the Pacific theatre during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
with the Marine Corps and, after a brief return to the FBI, served as a shooting instructor with the Marine Corps until his retirement in the 1970s.
A high profile shooter, Walsh won numerous tournaments within the FBI and the Marine Corps, as well as nationally, and participated in the 1948 Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
. He received awards for his marksmanship until the age of 90 and served as the coach of the Olympic shooting team until 2000. At the FBI's 100th anniversary celebration he was recognized as the oldest living former agent and noted as being a year older than the organization itself. Aside from some hearing and memory loss, he remained physically fit at his 102nd birthday.
Early life and FBI career
Walsh was born in Union City, New JerseyUnion City, New Jersey
Union City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...
. After graduating from Rutgers Law School
Rutgers School of Law—Newark
Rutgers School of Law–Newark is the oldest of three law schools in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located at the S.I. Newhouse Center for Law and Justice, at 123 Washington Street, in downtown Newark...
, Walsh joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
in 1934. Later that year, he discovered the body of gangster Baby Face Nelson
Baby Face Nelson
Lester Joseph Gillis , known under the pseudonym George Nelson, was a bank robber and murderer in the 1930s. Gillis was known as Baby Face Nelson, a name given to him due to his youthful appearance and small stature...
, who died of injuries sustained in a gun battle with the police in Barrington, Illinois
Barrington, Illinois
Barrington is a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois and Lake County, Illinois. The population was 10,327 at the 2010 census. Located approximately northwest of Chicago, the area features wetlands, forest preserves, parks and horse trails in a country-suburban setting...
on November 27, 1934. Nelson had killed two FBI agents prior to fleeing the scene, wounded, and later died at his wife's side. The FBI, unaware of Nelson's death, continued a broad search for him, which included several home raids, through the night and into the following day. The search was not called off until a tip led them to Nelson's body, which was lying in a ditch in what is now Skokie, Illinois
Skokie, Illinois
Skokie is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Its name comes from a Native American word for "fire". A Chicago suburb, for many years Skokie promoted itself as "The World's Largest Village". Its population, per the 2000 census, was 63,348...
. He was also with the team that captured criminal Arthur Barker
Arthur Barker
Arthur R. "Doc" Barker was an American criminal, the son of Ma Barker and a member of the Barker-Karpis gang along with Alvin Karpis....
, son of gangster Ma Barker
Ma Barker
Kate "Ma" Barker was the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker gang from the "public enemy era", when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the U.S. Midwest gripped the American people and press...
, in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1935 and was later involved in tracking Public Enemy
Public Enemy
Public Enemy is an American hip hop group consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and his S1W group, DJ Lord , and Music Director Khari Wynn...
Number One Al Brady
Al Brady
Al Brady was an Indiana-born armed robber and murderer who became one of the FBI's "Public Enemies" in the 1930s. He and an accomplice were shot dead in an ambush by FBI agents in downtown Bangor, Maine, in 1937...
in 1937. On October 12 of that year, he was with the group of FBI agents who ambushed and killed Brady in a shoot-out at a Bangor, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
sporting goods store. While waiting for Brady to arrive, he acted as a clerk in the store for several days and arrested Brady Gang member James Dalhover. As the operation leader, Walsh's job had been to alert thirteen other agents, as well as over 30 other state and local policemen, of any gang member's arrival by pulling a cord on the window. As they were interrogating Dalhover in the story Clarence Lee Shaffer, Jr., another gang member, entered the building and began firing at the agents. While arresting Dalhover, Walsh had taken bullets to his hand, shoulder and right chest, but quickly returned to work.
Walsh was employed with the FBI until 1942 when, as a Reserve Marine Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, he took a leave to serve with the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After he left, Hoover refused to allow any more active agents to be members of any military reserve. Walsh fought in the Pacific
South West Pacific theatre of World War II
The South West Pacific Theatre, technically the South West Pacific Area, between 1942 and 1945, was one of two designated area commands and war theatres enumerated by the Combined Chiefs of Staff of World War II in the Pacific region....
Theater
Theater (warfare)
In warfare, a theater, is defined as an area or place within which important military events occur or are progressing. The entirety of the air, land, and sea area that is or that may potentially become involved in war operations....
, specifically on Okinawa
Okinawa Islands
Okinawa Islands are a group of islands that belongs to Okinawa Prefecture. Okinawa Prefecture makes up a portion of the Ryukyu Islands. The prefectural capital Naha, as well as most of the population, exists on the largest island, Okinawa Island...
and in North China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. In one incident, he and his comrades were pinned down by a sniper, which Walsh was able to kill from 90 yards away with a single shot to the torso from a M1911 pistol. He eventually obtained the rank of Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
and returned to the FBI for two years from 1946–1947. In total, during his tenure with the agency, he killed between 11 and 17 bandits.
Shooting and the Olympics
Walsh got his start with firearms shooting clothespins off of his aunt's laundry line. In 1935 he joined the FBI pistol team. Within three years of joining the FBI, he had been presented with two marksmanship trophies from director J. Edgar HooverJ. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
. In 1939, at Camp Ritchie, he set the world record in pistol
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
shooting with 198 points out of a possible 200 and won the individual eastern regional pistol championships in 1939 and 1940 and placing second in 1941 after leading for most of the tournament. He placed 12th in the Men's Free Pistol, 50 metres
Shooting at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Shooting at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London comprised four events.-Medal count:- 300 metre rifle three positions :-50 metre rifle prone:-50 metre pistol:-25 metre rapid fire pistol:-References:*...
competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. At the 1952 ISSF World Shooting Championships
1952 ISSF World Shooting Championships
The 35th UIT World Shooting Championships was the contemporary name of the ISSF World Shooting Championships in all ISSF shooting events held in Oslo, Norway, in 1952, only weeks before the 1952 Summer Olympics...
, he won a gold medal with the United States team in the 25 m Center-Fire Pistol
25 m Center-Fire Pistol
25 metre center-fire pistol is one of the ISSF shooting events, and is normally a men-only event. Its origin lies in competitions with military-style service pistols, and as such its history dates back to the 19th century....
event and a silver in the individual version of that event. After winning many tournaments within the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, he became commander of their marksmanship training, a position that he held for many years, until he retired in the 1970s. In total, he was selected five times for the All-American Pistol Shooting Team.
Later life
Walsh had three daughters, two sons and several grandchildren. As late as 1997, he was still receiving awards for his marksmanship, winning the Outstanding American Handgunner of the Year. Until 2000 he served as a coach for the Olympic shooting team, able to see without the aid of glasses even at the age of 92. At the age of 100 he was present at a re-enactment of the Al Brady shoot out in Bangor, Maine. At this event, he was presented with a plaque and the key to the city. At the age of 101, he was the FBI's oldest living former agent and was in excellent physical shape, aside from some hearing and memory loss. He credits his longevity to luck, listening to his parents, and blessings from GodGod
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. At the 100th anniversary celebration of the FBI, it was noted that Walsh was older than the agency itself. He celebrated his 102nd birthday in 2009 and was still able to use the stairs in his three-story home in Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
.