Walter C. Givhan

{{Short description|American politician (1902–1976)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}

{{infobox officeholder

| name = Walter C. Givhan

| image = Walter C. Givhan.jpg

| office = Member of the Alabama Senate

| term_start = November 3, 1954

| term_end = February 18, 1976

| constituency = 30th (1954–1966)
14th (1966–1974)
29th (1974–1976)

| preceded =

| succeeded = Earl Goodwin

| office2 = Member of the Alabama House of Representatives from Dallas County

| term_start2 = November 4, 1942

| term_end2 = November 3, 1954

| preceded2 = James A. Hare Jr.

| succeeded2 = Val Hain

| term_start3 = November 5, 1930

| term_end3 = November 7, 1934

| preceded3 = Clifton Kirkpatrick

| succeeded3 = Reuben F. Hamner

| birth_name = Walter Coats Givhan

| birth_date = {{birth date|1902|05|07}}

| birth_place = Perry, Alabama, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1976|02|18|1902|05|07}}

| death_place = Safford, Alabama, U.S.

| party = Democratic

| spouse = {{marriage|Audrey Cheatham|1932}}
{{marriage|Geneva Yelverton|1960}}

| education = North Georgia College (BS)

}}

Walter Coats Givhan (May 7, 1902 – February 18, 1976) was an American politician. An unrepentant white supremacist, he served in both houses of the Alabama Legislature, where he was a strong proponent of racial segregation.{{cite web|title=On the Road to Selma, a Jim Crow Relic|work=The Crime Report|date=February 2, 2015|url=https://thecrimereport.org/2015/02/02/2015-02-on-the-road-to-selma-a-jim-crow-relic/|accessdate=November 4, 2021}} He was a Democrat and a Methodist.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qi0nAAAAMAAJ |title=Alabama Official and Statistical Register |date=1967 |publisher=State of Alabama, Department of Archives and History |others=Alabama Department of Archives and History |pages=301 |language=en |quote=Senator Givhan is a Democrat and a Methodist.}}

He was a member of the state sponsored Alabama State Sovereignty Commission, a state government organization created to fight the federal government mandated integration in schools after Brown v. Board of Education (1954).{{cite web|title=7 people named to Alabama Sovereignty Commission|work=The Birmingham News|date=December 21, 1963|url=https://www.al.com/birmingham-news-stories/2013/12/7_people_named_to_alabama_sove.html|accessdate=September 15, 2022}}