Walter Liggett

Walter Liggett
Walter W. Liggett in 1929.
Born	Walter William Liggett (1886-02-14)February 14, 1886 Minnesota
Died	December 9, 1935(1935-12-09) (aged 49) Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nationality	American
Occupation	Newspaper editor/Journalist

Walter William Liggett (February 14, 1886 – December 9, 1935), was an American journalist who worked at several newspapers in New York City, including the New York Times, The Sun, New York Post, and the New York Daily News.

In the Twin Cities during the 1930s, Liggett worked as an investigative journalist and editor of the newspaper Midwest American. He specialized in exposés of Minneapolis and Saint Paul organized crime and their connections to corrupt politicians.

Walter Liggett was born on February 14, 1886, into a Minnesota farm family of Scotch-Irish descent. After leaving college, he worked for a succession of newspapers in Saint Paul, Skagway, Alaska, Washington state, and New York City. Liggett considered himself a Marxist, was an enthusiastic supporter of the Farmer-Labor Party, and was outspoken on a number of controversial issues. Liggett campaigned with U.S. Representative Charles August Lindbergh against United States involvement in the First World War and was also active in efforts to free Sacco and Vanzetti and Thomas Mooney.

In 1929-1930, he vaulted to national prominence with a series of articles for Plain Talk magazine which described the corruption wrought by Prohibition on American cities such as Washington, D.C., Boston and Minneapolis. When Congress held its first ever hearings on the efficacy of Prohibition in February 1930, Liggett was the first witness called to testify.