Walter won Premiership in the 1971 elections, defeating Vere Bird four years after the colony became a British dependency with domestic autonomy.

During his tenure as premier of Antigua and Barbuda, Walter was the representative of All Saints, which was then one constituency.

[2] The Social Security Act, the Labour Code that was copied in every Caribbean territory, the Representation of the People's Act and the founding of the Antigua & Barbuda Development Bank were all the work of his PLM government.

After being defeated, Walter was convicted of allegedly selling metal illegally to the Antiguan government.

[1] He was married to Lady Hyacinth Walter, a former teacher and principal of the Antigua Girls' School, who contested the All Saints seat in 1980 on behalf of her husband, narrowly losing to then ALP member of Parliament Hilroy Humphreys by nine votes.