J. W. Watson Sr.

American politician

John W. Watson Sr.

Florida State Senator - 13th District
In office 1925–1935
Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
In office 1901–1901
Preceded by	Robert McNamee
Succeeded by	Cromwell Gibbons
Florida's House of Representatives - Osceola
In office 1897–1905
Florida House of Representatives Dade
In office 1907–1919
6th Mayor of Miami
In office July 18, 1912 – November, 1915
Preceded by	Samuel Rodmond Smith
Succeeded by	P.A. Henderson
8th Mayor of Miami
In office November, 1917 – November, 1919 ^[1]
Preceded by	P.A. Henderson
Succeeded by	W.P. Smith

Personal details
Born	Oct 31, 1859 North Carolina, US
Died	Feb 8, 1942 Miami, Florida, US
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Emma Cora Chafer Watson
Children	J.W. Watson Jr., Janet Watson Carson, Robert Osborne Watson
Profession	Merchant

John W. Watson Sr. (October 31, 1859 - February 8, 1942) was an American politician and businessman who served in a number of elected positions throughout Florida.^[2]

Biography

Watson was born in North Carolina. He studied at Raleigh Academy then traveled and worked various jobs. He eventually settled in Kissimmee, Florida where he established a hardware business and became active in local and state politics. He expanded the business to Miami and eventually moved there, building an edifice that would be known as the Watson Building, downtown.^[3]

Watson was elected as state representative for the area that included Kissimmee and later Miami.^[4] He was later elected Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and a member of the Florida Senate^[5] and served as the City of Miami's 6th and 8th Mayor.^[6] His first Miami election was a landslide.^[7]

In between political victories, he owned a grocery store, hardware company and grapefruit grove among his multiple business endeavors.^[8]

He built several buildings in Miami which became important to the city's growth and long-term development.^[9] The Watson family is considered to be among Miami's first settlers as they arrived before the railroad to town was complete.^[10]

Watson testified before the House of Representatives' Committee on Indian Services regarding his first-hand knowledge of Seminole Indian culture and his distaste for the plans to drain the Everglades.^[11]

He ran for Florida Governor unsuccessfully in 1911–1912.

Watson Island is named after him. He is buried in the Miami City Cemetery.

Fraternal and civic affiliations

Fraternally he was connected with the Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias, and the Elks.^[12]

References

Notes

^ City Manager's Report to City. City of Miami. 1926. p. 6.
^ "PIONEERING FATHER, SON WERE LEADERS, 1ST IN KISSIMMEE, THEN IN MIAMI". Orlando Sentinel. 2003-08-03. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
^ "Watson Building in Downtown Miami". 21 December 2016.
^ Miami City Directory. R.L. Polk & Co. 1920. p. 62.
^ Oliva, Jose (2019). "People of Lawmaking" (PDF). Retrieved 16 Feb 2023.
^ Blackman, E.V. (1921). "Miami and Dade County Florida; Its settlement progress and achievement". Retrieved 16 Feb 2023.
^ "Watson Wins Mayoralty by a Large Vote". Miami Herald. July 17, 1912. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
^ Piket, Casey (2016). "Watson Building in Downtown Miami". Retrieved 19 Feb 2023.
^ Piket, Casey (2016). "Watson Building in Downtown Miami". Retrieved 19 Feb 2023.
^ Blackman, E.V. (1921). "Miami and Dade County Florida; Its settlement progress and achievement". Retrieved 16 Feb 2023.
^ "Conditions of the Florida Seminoles hearings before the Committee on Investigation of the Indian Service, House of Representatives". Digital Panther archives. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
^ Blackman, E.V. (1921). "Miami and Dade County Florida; Its settlement progress and achievement". Retrieved 16 Feb 2023.

Bibliography

Hon. John W. Watson. Miami Herald, vol. 2, no. 110, 19 Mar. 1912, p. Page Three.
John W. Watson, Nominated Mayor I First Primary - Miami Herald, July 23, 1913, Page One.