Walter Franklin Horan (October 15, 1898 – December 19, 1966) was an American politician, a congressman from Eastern Washington for 22 years.

[2][3][4] Walt served in the U.S. Navy as a gunner's mate during World War I, and earned a bachelor's degree from Washington State College in Pullman in 1925.

[5] Horan ran for Congress in 1940 from the 5th congressional district, but lost the general election to the two-term incumbent, Democrat Charles H. Leavy.

Leavy resigned in August 1942 to become a federal judge on the U.S. District Court in western Washington, which left the seat vacant.

[11] Seeking a twelfth term at age 66, Horan won the Republican primary over Sam C. Parks,[12] but was defeated in the 1964 general election by Democrat Tom Foley, a 35-year-old Spokane lawyer.

Foley held the seat for the next thirty years, including the last six as Speaker of the House, until defeated in 1994 at age 65 by George Nethercutt.