He graduated with his BA from Saint Joseph's College in 1913[1] and University of Pennsylvania Law School, gaining admittance to the Philadelphia Bar in 1916.
When the U.S. joined World War I, Waters enlisted in the First Officers' Training Camp at Fort Niagara in New York and served in the Army during the conflict.
On January 18, 1927, Governor John Stuchell Fisher appointed him as Secretary of the Department of Labor and Industry.
In 1953, Governor John S. Fine appointed Waters to the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.
His name was often floated as a candidate for governor or Philadelphia mayor, but he declined all appeals to run for higher office.