| Walter Birmingham | |
| Office3: | Warden of Toynbee Hall |
| Term Start3: | 1964 |
| Term End3: | 1972 |
| Predecessor3: | Jack Catchpool |
| Successor3: | Donald Piers Chesworth |
| Birth Date: | 4 January 1913 |
| Birth Place: | Firozpur, India |
| Alma Mater: | London School of Economics |
Walter Birmingham (January 4, 1913 – August 16, 2004) was an educationist and economist who served as the warden of Toynbee Hall.[1] He also worked on economic planning for West Africa in the post-colonial era.[2]
Birmingham was born in Firozpur, India, in 1913.
He took night classes at the London School of Economics, obtaining a degree in economics.[1]
Birmingham taught at several British, African, and American universities and was involved in economic development planning for West Africa.[2]
He was professor of economics at the University of Lesotho.[1]
In 1964, Birmingham was appointed warden of the Victorian charity Toynbee Hall, which had fallen on hard times.[2]
Soon after taking post, he took on the disgraced former government minister John Profumo as a volunteer.[3] Profumo would continue to support Toynbee Hall for decades, eventually becoming chairman of the charity.[4]
He married twice with a son and a daughter from his first marriage and two sons and one daughter from the second.[1]
A sculpture of Birmingham by Betty Jukes is housed at Toynbee Hall.[5]