Walter Jones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 3rd district | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – February 10, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Martin Lancaster |
| Succeeded by | Greg Murphy |
| Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 9th district | |
| In office January 31, 1983 – January 1, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Sam Bundy |
| Succeeded by | Seat Abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Walter Beaman Jones Jr. February 10, 1943 Farmville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | February 10, 2019 (aged 76) Greenville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (after 1994) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (before 1994) |
| Spouse |
Joe Anne Whitehurst (m. 1966) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Walter B. Jones Sr. (Father) |
| Education | Barton College (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1967–1971 |
| Unit | North Carolina National Guard |
Walter Beaman Jones Jr. (February 10, 1943 – February 10, 2019) was an American politician who served twelve terms in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party for North Carolina's 3rd congressional district from 1995 until his death in 2019. The district encompassed the coastal regions of North Carolina, from the Outer Banks and areas near the Pamlico Sound in the north, southwards to the northern suburbs of Wilmington. Jones's father was Walter B. Jones Sr., a Democratic Party congressman from the neighboring 1st district. Prior to his election to the U.S. House of Representatives, he served ten years in the North Carolina House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party and worked as a business executive.
He had been a Democrat like his father before changing parties in 1994, just before his first election to the U.S. House. Even after becoming a Republican, he frequently broke with the party over key issues. He supported the U.S. involvement in the Iraq War initially, but became one of its staunchest critics, arguing that the George W. Bush administration misinformed Congress with selective intelligence to win authorization for the war. He also was a critic of the Bush administration in their firing of federal prosecutors, and joined Democrats in supporting raises to the federal minimum wage. During the Obama administration, he voted against the Republican Path to Prosperity budget proposal of 2011, after which he was removed from key committee roles for defying party leadership. During the first Trump presidency, he was a frequent voice on the floor of Congress calling for scrutiny of the Trump presidency, including demanding the release of his tax returns and calling for investigations into alleged Trump presidential campaign involvement in the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.
Having libertarian-leaning tendencies, he was a member of the Liberty Caucus.