Exhibit 31-1
                                 CERTIFICATIONS

I, Wilfred N.,Cooper, Jr. certify that:

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of WNC HOUSING TAX CREDITS
   III, L.P.;

2. Based on   my knowledge,  this  quarterly  report does not contain any untrue
   statement   of a material fact or omit to state a material fact  necessary to
   make the statements    made, in light of the  circumstances  under which such
   statements  were made, not misleading with   respect to the period covered by
   this quarterly report;

3. Based on my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and   other   financial
   information  included  in this  quarterly  report,  fairly  present   in  all
   material respects the financial  condition,  results of operations  and  cash
   flows of the  registrant  as of, and  for,  the  periods  presented  in  this
   quarterly report;

4.  The   registrant's  other  certifying  officer  and  I are  responsible  for
    establishing  and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined
    in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15e and 15d-15e) for the registrant and we have:

    (a)  Designed  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures,  or  caused such
         disclosure   controls  and   procedures  to  be  designed   under   our
         supervision,  to ensure  that  material  information  relating  to  the
         registrant,  including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known  to
         us by others within those entities,  particularly during the period  in
         which this quarterly report is being prepared;

    (b)  Evaluated the  effectiveness  of the registrant's  disclosure  controls
         and procedures and presented  in this report our conclusions  about the
         effectiveness of the disclosure  controls and procedures, as of the end
         of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

    (c)  Disclosed  in  this  report  any  change in the  registrant's  internal
         control over  financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's
         most  recent  fiscal  quarter  that  has  materially   affected,  or is
         reasonably  likely to materially  affect,  the   registrant's  internal
         control over financial reporting; and

5. The   registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on
   our   most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to
   the    registrant's  independent  registered  public  accounting firm and the
   audit  committee  of   the  registrant's  board  of   directors  (or  persons
   performing the equivalent functions):

   (a)  All  significant  deficiencies and  material weaknesses in the design or
        operation  of internal  control  over  financial  reporting  which   are
        reasonably  likely to adversely affect in the registrant's  ability   to
        record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

   (b)  Any fraud, whether or not material,  that involves management or   other
        employees who have   a  significant  role in the  registrant's  internal
        control over financial reporting.

Date:  March 6, 2007




/s/ Wilfred N. Cooper, Jr.
--------------------------
President and Chief Executive Officer of WNC & Associates, Inc