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| Walter Lipscomb |
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born:
11 July 1902 Los Angeles, California, United States of America |
died:
12 April 1958 Bridgeport, Washington, United States of America (coronary occlusion, age 55) |
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Tall, burly American actor who would primarily work as a policeman. His surname has also been spelled "Lipscombe" and "Liscomb." His father, Walter T. Lipscomb (1865-1933), was also a policeman; his mother was Silvie/Sylvia L. (Williams) Lipscomb (1876-1929). Walter, Jr. was the oldest of four sons. Born in Los Angeles, he was raised in Santa Monica, California, where he would work as a lifeguard in the early-mid 1920s. Many later articles and records state Walter was a veteran of both World Wars, but I have yet to come across a definite record confirming he indeed served in World War I, even as a teenager, although his 1942 World War II draft registration card does make note of a U.S. Navy tattoo. At the time of the 1920 Census (05 Jan), 17-year old Walter was working as a plumber. He was working as a mechanic later that year, when he married 22-year old Colorado native Gladys Dorothy Bryan on 04 August 1920 in Long Beach, California; 18-year old Walter bluffed on the certificate by adding five years to his age. In the 1929 Los Angeles City Directory, Walter and Gladys "Lipscombe" are living at 6213 DeLongpre Avenue, with Walter's occupation listed as "actor." (Note: I could not locate them in the 1930 Census.) In 1932, Lipscomb remarried to Canadian-born Ada Caroline (née Penfound) (1896-1973) in New Mexico; by 1933, they are residing in Phoenix, Arizona. In May 1933, Lipscomb was appointed to the Arizona state highway patrol. In the 1940 Census (10 Apr), he is working as a public utility lineman. Per his World War II draft registration card (dated 15 February 1942), Walter Douglas "Lipscombe" was working for the Central Arizona Light and Power Co. His statistics are given as: 6'3", 270 lb, blue eyes, blonde hair, light complexion, and he has a "US navy tatoo [sic] on [his] left forearm," and a "hernia ???? on right side." A 1947 article gives his height and weight as 6'4" and 250 pounds. A 1947 article sums up his occupational activities: It states he had been active in police and investigation work for 20 years, minus a brief period of railroading and his serving in the two World Wars; he joined the Santa Monica police force when he was (16 or 18?) and served three years there, followed by two-and-a-half years as a traffic patrolman in Venice, California; this was followed by another two-and-a-half year period as deputy sheriff of Arizona's Grand Canyon district, then four years as captain of the Arizona state highway patrol; after that, he was named chief investigator for the Arizona attorney general's office, followed by eight years as superintendent of plant protection for an Arizona utilities company which was interrupted by naval duty during World War II; during WWII, Lipscomb organized and ran the naval shore patrol school in Farragut, Idaho, then worked as an investigator for the Thirteenth naval district. In April 1946, Lipscomb announced his candidacy for Arizona Secretary of State, running for the Democratic ticket in that July's primary election against incumbent Dan E. Garvey. Known as W. D. "Tiny" Lipscomb -- an ironic nickname not unlike that bestowed upon Stanley J. Sandford, Roscoe Ward, and Jack Lipson before him -- ads proclaimed him to be "Young (44), Courageous, Honest, Competent," and a "Veteran of World Wars I and II." In those same ads and elsewhere, he claimed he was a "native son" of the Grand Canyon State, born in the city of Mesa, with the ads proudly stating, "BORN--RAISED--EDUCATED IN ARIZONA" (riiiiiiight... "Honest"...). He ended up losing the Democratic nomination to Garvey. A month later, in August 1946, Lipscomb and his family (not sure who this would consist of) moved to The Dalles, Oregon, where Lipscomb became chief of police. He served in that position for six months until February 1947, when he became police chief of La Grande, Oregon (about 3 hours away from The Dalles). His 22-month tenure there was marked by some controversy, including a $15,000 false arrest lawsuit brought against him and another officer by the mother of a La Grande teenager who had been charged with property destruction, and an investigation into accusations against Chief Lipscomb of improper conduct, drunkenness in uniform, and using profanity on duty. On New Year's Eve, 1948, Lipscomb announced his resignation. By May 1949, he was heading the police department in Burns, Oregon (several hours away from both The Dalles and La Grande); he left that position in early 1952, ostensibly to run a ranch in Idaho. During the period of 1952-1955, he served as a policeman in Umatilla, Oregon, and served on the security forces at the McNary Dam. In November 1953, he was in the Veterans Administration Hospital in Walla Walla, Washington. In June 1955, he was named chief of security at the Chief Joseph Dam in Bridgeport, Washington. By October 1948, Walter had married yet again, to Janice Elizabeth (Vergin) Morris (1913-1989); they would adopt a son, Larry, and the marriage lasted until Walter's death. Walter Douglas Lipscomb died at 12:30pm on 12 April 1958 at his Bridgeport, WA home, from a coronary occlusion (2 hours) due to coronary artery disease (2 months); he had suffered a "mild occlusion" 2 months prior. The doctor who signed the certificate had been attending to Lipscomb since 21 January 1958. Walter's profession is given as "Security Officer" for the "U.S. Goverment [sic]." He was cremated through Jones & Jones Crematory in Wenatchee, Washington. |
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Real name: Walter Douglas Lipscomb Height: 6'3" |
Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography. |
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