Walter Jenkins
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Walter W. Jenkins (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.
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.
External link
- A news account of the scandal (http://www.hesperianbeacon.com/reflections3.htm)
- LBJ's Gay Sex Scandal (http://home.nyc.rr.com/alweisel/outwalterjenkins.htm)
References
- Barnes, Bart. "LBJ Aide Walter Jenkins Dies". Washington Post, 26 November 1985, pg. C4.