Walter Hart Neal, Sr. was born in Franklin County, North Carolina on February 19, 1859. Neal was an attorney in Laurinburg (Scotland County) who served as judge of the state's Eighth Judicial District (1901-1908), as district counsel for the Seaboard Air Line Railway, and as chairman of the state board of elections (1922-1926). He was an influential figure in the white supremacy campaign of 1898, actively supporting Red Shirt Democrats in their efforts to intimidate Black voters. Neal died in Laurinburg on May 23, 1927.