Jimmy Walter - Biography

Biography

Walter is the older of two sons of James W. Walter, Sr., a Tampa, Florida home builder and industrialist. He excelled at math and science in school, completing high school at the Asheville School in North Carolina, and was offered a Morehead scholarship to the University of North Carolina, but turned it down at his father's urging in order to enter business school.

Walter earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina in 1969, and worked in his father's business for two years. His father's political influence helped Walter join the Air Force Reserves to stay out of active combat in the Vietnam War; he earned an officer's commission and served for four years.

After leaving Walter Industries, Walter lived in New York, Hong Kong, and Tampa. He worked in a number of jobs and industries, including financial public relations in New York City, and founded several corporations.

On May 28, 1991, Walter and Jack Edwards co-wrote Banzai, You Bastards (ISBN 028563027X), the story of Edwards's abuse in a Japanese World War II prisoner-of-war camp.

When his father died in January 2000, Walter inherited a fortune reported between $7–14.3 million; he says $11 million. Much of that has been spent on his campaigns. He no longer receives a salary, but receives income from investments.

Since January 2005, Walter has been living in self-imposed exile in Vienna, Austria, after being attacked and threatened due to his campaign.