Los
Angeles County
Biographies
HON. WALTER J. LITTLE
Hon. Walter J. Little, lawyer and
lawmaker, has been actively engaged in practice in Los Angeles since he was
honorably discharged from service in the World War. He was born in Hammond, Indiana, September
13, 1894, his parents being George J. and Anna N. (Northmore)
Little. George J. Little, a native of
Illinois, came to Los Angeles, California, in 1904, but after a time removed to
Merced, where he passed away on the 2nd of July, 1918. His wife, who was born in England, is a
member of a pioneer family of Los Angeles.
Mr. and Mrs. George J. Little were the parents of three children: Walter J., Dorothy and Donald.
Walter J. Little attended the public
schools of Los Angeles and Santa Monica and subsequently matriculated in the
College of Liberal Arts at the University of Southern California. His professional training was received in the
law department of that institution as a member of the class of 1918, and he was
admitted to the bar in 1917, when still a student. On the 3rd of July, 1917, he
enlisted in the United States Army and became sergeant of the One Hundred Forty-third
Regiment of Field Artillery, with which command he served until the close of
the World War. After being discharged he
returned to Los Angeles and entered into the practice of his chosen
profession. He has membership in the Los
Angeles County and American Bar Associations, serving on many important
committees of these organizations.
Mr. Little has always taken a deep
interest in politics and early in his life became a member of the Republican
central committee. On the 4th
of November, 1924, he was elected a member of the California legislature from
the Sixty-second Assembly District. He
served as a member of the Colorado River Commission in 1925-6, and devoted much
time to the work of negotiating an equitable agreement relative to the division
of benefits between Arizona, Nevada and California arising out of the building
of Boulder Dam, particularly as it related to the electric power. In addition to being chairman of the Los
Angeles County delegation in the legislature he has been a member of other
important committees, including the Judiciary Committee of the Assembly. Mr. Little was chairman of the board of
managers which prosecuted the impeachment trial of Judge Carlos S. Hardy before
the Senate. He was also attorney for the
defense of the residents of Inyo County charged with the dynamiting of the Los
Angeles Aqueduct, which resulted in the charges against his clients being
dismissed. Both of these cases were of
nationwide interest. He has participated
in the trials of some of the state’s most important litigation involving water
rights.
On the 16th of July,
1917, in Glendale, California, Mr. Little was united in marriage to Miss Mable
McNeely and they are the parents of three children: Walter J., Jr., Richard and Barbara. Fraternally Mr. Little is affiliated with the
Masons, belonging to Santa Monica Lodge, F. & A. M., and to the Order of
the Eastern Star. He also has membership
in the Santa Monica Athletic Club and the Los Angeles Athletic Club and enjoys
deserved popularity in social as well as professional circles of Los Angeles
County.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: California of the South
Vol. IV, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 201-202, Clarke Publ.,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPIES