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Gerald Walpin

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Gerald Walpin
Inspector General of the Corporation for National and Community Service
In office
January 8, 2007 – July 12, 2009
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Barack Obama
Preceded byCarol Bates (Acting)
Succeeded byKenneth Bach (Acting)
Personal details
Born(1931-09-01)September 1, 1931
New York City, U.S.
DiedJune 24, 2016(2016-06-24) (aged 84)
New York City, U.S.
EducationCity University of New York, City College (BA)
Yale University (LLB)

Gerald Walpin (September 1, 1931 – June 24, 2016) was an American lawyer and author.[1] He served as the Inspector General of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) from January 2007 until June 2009, when he was removed by U.S. President Barack Obama.[1]

Personal life

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Walpin was born September 1, 1931, in New York City,[2] and graduated from the City College of New York in 1952.[3][4] He attended Yale Law School, where he was managing editor of the Yale Law Journal, graduating cum laude in 1955. Walpin was married, and had three children and six grandchildren.[3]

Career

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From 1957 to 1960, he served in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General, with a rank of lieutenant.[3]

Walpin was an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of Special Prosecutions for the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York for five years, after which he went on to become a senior partner at the New York-based law firm Rosenman & Colin LLP—and then of counsel at its successor Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP—for a combined total of over 40 years.[3]

From 2002 to 2004, Walpin was president of the Federal Bar Council, an association of attorneys who practice in the courts within the Second Circuit. He received the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award in 2003 for outstanding professionalism as an attorney and for mentoring younger lawyers.[3]

Inspector General of CNCS

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Appointment by George W. Bush

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On August 3, 2006, President George W. Bush nominated Walpin as Inspector General (IG) of Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), an office in the CNCS charged with conducting independent and object audits, investigations, and inspections of the CNCS and its service programs, which include AmeriCorps, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), and Senior Corps.[5] After he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 9, 2006, Walpin was sworn in on January 8, 2007.[3][5][6]

Americorps investigations

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After its May 20, 2009 meeting that discussed Walpin's report criticizing the St. HOPE Academy settlement agreement and Walpin's forthcoming report questioning the validity of the largest AmeriCorps program—the Research Foundation of City University of New York (RFCUNY) New York City Teaching Fellows program, the bipartisan CNCS Board of Directors unanimously requested that the White House review Walpin's conduct as Inspector General.[7][8]

Removal and lawsuit

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Walpin was suspended with pay on June 11, 2009, by President Barack Obama, who on the same day advised the U.S. Congress that he would remove Walpin from office, effective 30 days from then, because Obama no longer had "the fullest confidence in" him as Inspector General.[9][10] and on June 16, 2009, the White House submitted a letter with additional information on the reasons Walpin was removed.[7] However Republicans Chuck Grassley and Darrell Issa have asserted that Walpin's firing was politically motivated due to the fact that Walpin was investigating Kevin Johnson, a friend and supporter of Barack Obama, for sexual assault and other allegations during the time he was fired by Obama.[11]

On July 17, 2009, Walpin filed a civil lawsuit in federal court seeking his reinstatement, arguing that his removal violated the 2008 Inspector General Act.[12] On July 20, 2009, Walpin issued a statement saying the primary reason for his lawsuit was to protect future Inspectors General.[13]

On October 19, 2009, the chairman of the Integrity Committee of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency[who?] (CIGIE) notified Walpin that his response to an April 29, 2009 complaint about him by acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence G. Brown on May 20, 2009, had sufficiently and satisfactorily addressed the matter, and closed the complaint.[14]

On June 17, 2010, U.S. District Court Judge Richard W. Roberts dismissed Walpin's suit.[15]

Death

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Gerald Walpin died on June 24, 2016, in a hospital after being hit by the driver of a sport utility vehicle in Manhattan while crossing at Lexington Avenue and East 79th Street.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Rosenberg, Eli (June 26, 2016). "Gerald Walpin, Watchdog Fired Over AmeriCorps Inquiry, Dies at 84". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  2. ^ Martindale Hubbell Law Directory 1999: District of Columbia, U.S. Government Lawyers, State Bar Association Profiles, Law Schools, Volume 5. New Providence, NJ: Martindale-Hubbell. 1998. ISBN 978-1-56160-324-4 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Meet Inspector General Gerald Walpin" (PDF). Inspector General of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 6, 2009.
  4. ^ "Chosen at City College to head student council". The New York Times. May 16, 1951. p. 30. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Presidential Nomination PN1904-109 Gerald Walpin". THOMAS. December 9, 2006. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2009.
  6. ^ "Inspector General historical data - Federal departments" (PDF). IGnet.gov. May 17, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 13, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
  7. ^ a b
  8. ^
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  10. ^ U.S. Congress (December 5, 2008). "U.S.C. Title 5 Appendix - Inspector General Act of 1978 (Incorporating Inspector General Reform Act of 2008, Pub. L. 110-409)" (PDF). USAID. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
  11. ^ "Republicans criticize dismissal of AmeriCorps watchdog". Los Angeles Times. November 20, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  12. ^ O'Keefe, Ed (July 20, 2009). "Fired IG Gerald Walpin Files Suit". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  13. ^ Tapper, Jake (July 20, 2009). "Fired Inspector General says his lawsuit was filed to protect future IGs". ABC News. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
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