Laughlin Edward Waters Sr.

Laughlin Edward Waters Sr. (August 16, 1914 – June 3, 2002) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

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.

On April 26, 1976, Waters was nominated by President Gerald Ford to a seat on the United States District Court for the Central District of California vacated by Judge Jesse William Curtis Jr. Waters was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 11, 1976, and received his commission on May 12, 1976. He assumed senior status on July 6, 1986, serving in that capacity until his death on June 3, 2002, in Los Angeles.