Lawrence Cohen Walker Jr. (March 9, 1942 – June 9, 2026) was an American attorney and politician who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1973 to 2005, as a member of the Democratic Party. He was the majority leader of the state house from 1987 to 2002.
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Early life and education
Lawrence Cohen Walker Jr. was born in Perry, Georgia, on March 9, 1942, to Lawrence Cohen Walker Sr. and Hilda Gray Walker. He graduated from Perry High School in 1960. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1963, and a Juris Doctor in 1964. He was president of Phi Delta Phi. and a member of the Board of Governors of the student bar association.
Local politics
Walker started working at the law firm Walker and Richardson in 1965. Walker was appointed as a judge in the municipal court of Perry, in 1966. The city council appointed Walker as city attorney on April 4, 1972, while George Nunn was selected to replace him as judge. He was reappointed as city attorney in 1974, and 1976.
Walker became a member of the Middle Georgia Area Planning and Development Commission (MGAPDC) on January 1, 1973. He served as vice chair until becoming acting chair when Ed Bond was replaced on the board in 1974. On March 7, 1974, he was appointed as chair of the MGAPDC. Al Williams was elected to succeed Walker as chair on December 12.
State legislature
In the 1972 election Walker ran for a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives from the 100th district. He defeated Kevin Sumner for the Democratic nomination and faced no opposition in the general election. He faced no opposition in the 1974 and 1976 elections. Walker was a member of the state house from 1973 to 2005.
Walker ran to succeed Al Burruss as speaker pro tempore, the second-highest position in the state house, in 1976, but lost to Jack Connell.
From 1987 to 2002, Walker was Majority Leader. During his tenure in the state house he was a member of the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Rules committees. He was vice-chair of the Judiciary committee during the 1975 session.
Later life
Walker was a member of the Georgia Department of Transportation from Georgia's 8th congressional district from 2007 to 2009. Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Walker as an at-large member of the Georgia Board of Regents in August 2009.
Walker wrote columns for The Telegraph from 2001 to 2017. Middle Georgia State University awarded an honorary degree to Walker in 2026.
Personal life
Walker was a member of the United Methodist Church. He married Janice Knighton, with whom he had four children including Larry Walker III, in 1964. Walker died in Perry on June 9, 2026.
Political positions
All five members of the Houston County Board of Education were from Warner Robins, Georgia, which Walker felt was not representative. Walker considered proposing legislation to have the board of education be elected, but did not propose it as he wanted to study the issue more and later stated in 1974 that he lacked support among Houston County's state legislative delegation. Neil Holloman resigned from the board in 1973, and Walker called for somebody from Perry to be appointed, but L. A. McConnell of Warner Robins was selected.
Walker voted against raising the salary of government officials in 1973. He voted in favor of an amendment to the 1976 Appropriations Act which would increase the salary of Georgia State Patrol officers.
The state house and Walker voted against ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment in 1974.
In 1976, Walker voted against allowing the Governor of Georgia to serve more than on term.
Funding for Middle Georgia Technical College's (MGTC) campus in Warner Robins was supported by Walker. This campus was completed in 1997. The Central Georgia Technical College, which succeeded MGTC, named a multi-purpose building in Walker's honor in 2014.
Walker voted against legislation in 1976 to lower the penalty for possessing an ounce or less of marijuana from a year in prison and/or a $1,000 fine to a fine less than $100 for a first time offense and six months in prison and/or a $300 fine for repeat offenders.
Taxation
Perry had an ad valorem tax exemption for people who owned properties greater than five acres in size. Attorney General Arthur K. Bolton stated in an unofficial opinion that this was unconstitutional and discriminated against smaller property owners. In 1973, Walker proposed legislation to remove this exemption.
In 1973, Walker voted in favor of legislation that allowed cities and counties to impose a 1% local income tax. He voted in favor of allowing counties to institute a local sales tax in 1974. Legislation that would allowed cities and counties to institute either an income or sales tax was supported by Walker in 1975.
Recreation
Natural Resources Commissioner Joe Tanner planned on closing 17 state parks and historical sites on August 15, 1975, in order to save money. One of these sites was White Water Creek Park, which Walker fought against the closing of.
Development of the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter was pushed by Walker in the 1980s. The GNFA started work on the Larry Walker Arena & Barn in May 2025, and it is expected to be completed by April 2027.