Born in
Los Angeles,
California, Waters received an
Artium Baccalaureus degree from the
University of California, Los Angeles in 1939 and was in the
United States Army Infantry during
World War II, from 1942 to 1945, achieving the rank of captain. A statue of him was erected in a French town his troops liberated, and he was mentioned in
Stephen Ambrose's
Citizen Soldiers. He was a deputy attorney general of the State of California from 1946 to 1947, receiving a
Juris Doctor from the
USC Gould School of Law in 1947. He was in private practice in Los Angeles from 1947 to 1953. He was a
Republican member of the
California State Assembly for the 58th district from 1947 to 1953. He was
United States Attorney for the Southern District of California from 1953 to 1961, returning to private practice in Los Angeles from 1961 to 1976. ==Federal judicial service==