Vincent Walker Foster Jr. (January 15, 1945 – July 20, 1993) was an American attorney who served as deputy White House counsel during the first six months of the Clinton administration.

At the White House, he was unhappy with work in politics and spiraled into depression, and in July 1993, he was found dead of a gunshot wound in Fort Marcy Park.

"[6] Another childhood friend was Mack McLarty, who would one day become White House Chief of Staff for Clinton.

[5] However, Clinton would often return to visit his grandparents in Hope during summers, weekends, and holidays and he maintained connections with the people there.

[3][9] His father wanted him to join the family real estate business, but instead, he opted to attend law school.

[2] After starting at Vanderbilt University Law School, he joined the Arkansas National Guard during the height of the Vietnam War[2] to avoid the military draft.

[2] Foster met Elizabeth Braden, known as Lisa, during his sophomore year at Davidson; she was the daughter of an insurance broker from Nashville and was attending Sweet Briar College.

[13] Known for his extensive preparation of cases ahead of time, including the creation of decision trees,[7] Foster developed a reputation as one of the best trial litigators in Arkansas.

[9] Hillary Rodham Clinton's memoir calls Foster "one of the best lawyers I've ever known," and compared him in style and substance to Gregory Peck's portrayal of Atticus Finch in the classic 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird.

"[6] Writer Carl Bernstein has described Foster as "tall, with impeccable manners and a formal mien ... elegant in perfectly tailored suits, and soft-spoken to the point of taciturnity.

"[3] Phillip Carroll, the leading litigator at Rose Law Firm, once said of Foster, "He was my ideal of a young lawyer.

[7] As Deputy Counsel, Foster was also involved in a range of other matters, including preparation of executive orders, analyzing the legal effect of various policies, examining international treaties, discussing the ramifications of authorizations for use of military force, and authorizing expenditures within the White House.

[7] He handled the Clintons' Madison Guaranty and Industrial Development Corporation paperwork[19] and also several Whitewater-related tax returns.

[7][21] On May 8, 1993, Foster gave the commencement address at the University of Arkansas Law School, his alma mater, and said: The reputation you develop for intellectual and ethical integrity will be your greatest asset or your worst enemy.

[17][7]One faculty member listening to it recalled telling another that it was "the most depressing graduation speech I had ever heard, in both content and manner.

[18] Disliking the public spotlight[13] and having continued weight loss and insomnia,[15] he considered resigning his position but feared a personal humiliation upon returning to Arkansas.

The letter contained a list of grievances, including, "The WSJ editors lie without consequence"[25] and saying, "I was not meant for the job or the spotlight of public life in Washington.

[28] In 2004, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in National Archives and Records Administration v. Favish that the pictures of the scene and autopsy should not be released.

[35] Foster's death, occurring just six months into the new administration, is thought by some to have ended the optimism and remaining innocence of the White House staff.

[36] White House chief of staff and childhood friend Mack McLarty said that "It was a deep cut.

"[36] Nussbaum speculated that if Foster had lived, he would have helped resist the calls to appoint independent counsels and the many investigations lumped under the Whitewater umbrella that occupied the administration and Clinton for the rest of his presidency might not have happened.

[36] As it did happen, how Hillary Clinton's chief of staff, Maggie Williams, in particular handled Foster's files and documents immediately after his death became an issue of much investigation itself.

[18][37] Years later, Bill Clinton expressed his continued anger about the Foster rumors and theories, clenching a fist as he spoke: "I heard a lot of the right-wing talk show people ... and all the sleazy stuff they said.

"[7] Colleagues speculated that Foster might have someday become president of the state bar association or a choice for a federal judgeship.