Lawrence Edward Walsh (March 8, 1912 – March 19, 2014) was a prominent American lawyer, judge, and Independent Counsel best known for investigating the Iran-Contra affair from 1986 to 1993. Born in Port Maitland, Nova Scotia, Canada, to American parents, he moved to New York City as a child and was educated at Horace Mann School, Columbia University (A.B. 1932), and Columbia Law School (LL.B. 1935). He served as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Walsh held several key legal positions, including U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (1953–1957), federal judge on the same district’s court (1957–1959), Deputy Attorney General, and special counsel during the Watergate investigation. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan as Independent Counsel, he led a thorough and often controversial probe into secret arms sales to Iran and funding of Nicaraguan Contras, resulting in indictments, though many convictions were later overturned or pardoned. Walsh also served as chairman of the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law. He died in New York City at the age of 102, leaving a legacy as a steadfast public servant committed to upholding the rule of law amid political turmoil.