Walter Gordon Merritt was born in Danbury, Connecticut. His father owned and operated a small hat shop and Walter became interested in labor relations problems at an early age. He served as the attorney for the employers in the first Danbury Hatters case and spent most of his life as a management consultant. he also served as the attorney for the employers in the second Danbury Hatters case in 1953.
From the guide to the Walter Gordon Merritt. Danbury Hatters' Case Files, 1953., (Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Martin P. Catherwood Library, Cornell University.)