William T. Watson

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = William T. Watson
honorific-suffix =


imagesize =
small

office = Governor of Delaware
term_start = April 8 1895
term_end = January 19 1897
predecessor = Joshua H. Marvil
successor = Ebe W. Tunnell
birth_date = birth date|1849|6|22|mf=y
birth_place = Milford, Delaware
death_date = death date and age|1917|4|14|1849|6|22
death_place = Milford, Delaware
spouse = Harriet Beale
party = Democratic
residence = Milford, Delaware
alma_mater = Washington College
occupation = banker
profession =
religion = Episcopalian

William Tharp Watson (June 22 1849 – April 14 1917) was an American banker and politician from Milford, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware.

Early life and family

Watson was born June 22 1849 in Milford, Delaware, son of Bethuel & Ruth Tharp Watson and grandson of Governor William Tharp. He attended Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland and for a time lived in Philadelphia. He returned to Milford, where he worked with the Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Railroad and the First National Bank. Watson married Harriet Beale and had one child, William Jr. They lived at 600 North Walnut Street, Milford, and were members of Christ Episcopal Church in Milford.

Political career

At the turn of the twentieth century Delaware was going through a political transformation. Most obvious to the public was the unprecedented division in the Republican Party caused, in part, by the ambitions of J. Edward "Gas" Addicks for a seat in the U.S. Senate. A gas company industrialist, he spent vast amounts of his own fortune to rebuild the Republican Party in Delaware, seemingly for that purpose. This effort was very successful in heavily Democratic Kent County and Sussex County, where he financed the organization of a faction that came to be known as "Union Republicans." Meanwhile he was making bitter enemies of the New Castle County "Regular Republicans," who considered him nothing more than a carpetbagger from Philadelphia.

Watson was a Democrat, and was first elected to the State House in 1884, but his eligibility was challenged due his previous residence in Philadelphia. As a result did not take his seat and waited eight years, until 1892, to seek office again. Then he was elected to the State Senate and served in the 1893/94 session and the 1895/96 session, when he was the Speaker. The 1894 elections, however, resulted in a Republican State House and a Republican Governor. Regardless, the State Senate kept its Democratic majority, and when Governor Joshua H. Marvil died, the Speaker of the State Senate succeeded him. Watson assumed the office of Governor of Delaware and served from April 8 1895 until January 19 1897.

All the while the Delaware General Assembly was attempting to elect a U.S. Senator. Since the two houses voted together, the more numerous Republicans held an overall majority and attempted to elect Henry A. du Pont to the office. But the Republicans were divided and enough supported the candidacy of Addicks to barely prevent a majority from electing du Pont. Then, with accession of Watson to the Governor's office, the total number of members seemed to be reduced and du Pont had a majority. The Delaware General Assembly went to vote only to find Watson had returned to his old State Senate seat, casting his vote for the Democratic candidate, but more importantly preventing du Pont from receiving a majority. This was an unprecedented action by an Acting Governor, but the Delaware Constitution of 1831, then in effect, did not address the question. The Republican Speaker of the State House disallowed the vote and certified the election of du Pont, but the Democratic controlled U.S. Senate rejected his credentials, thereby preserving its own majority. This, of course, was the real purpose behind Watson's action. The soon to be drafted, Delaware Constitution of 1897, resolved the issue for good by creating the independent office of Lieutenant Governor.

Because of Governor Marvil's death, the General Assembly scheduled the next gubernatorial election in 1896, two years into the term. Delaware's gubernatorial elections have been held in the year of the U.S. Presidential election ever since.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
"(sessions while Governor)"
-!Year!Assembly!!Senate Majority!Speaker!!House Majority!Speaker
-
1895-1896
88th|
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |vacant|
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |Henry H. McMullen
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Death and legacy

Watson died April 14 1917 in Milford, Delaware and is buried there, at Odd Fellows Cemetery.

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1st. Members of the Delaware General Assembly took office the first Tuesday of January. State Senators have a four year term. The Governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and has a four year term.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" | Public Offices
-! Office! Type! Location! Elected! Took Office! Left Office! notes
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
State Senator
Legislature
Dover
1892
January 6 1893
April 8 1895|
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Governor
Executive
Dover|
April 8 1895
January 19 1897
acting
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly "service"
-! Dates! Assembly! Chamber! Majority! Governor! Committees! District
-Party shading/Democratic
1893-1894
87th
State Senate
Democratic
Robert J. Reynolds|
Kent "at-large"
-Party shading/Democratic
1895-1896
88th
State Senate
Democratic
Joshua H. Marvil
Speaker [1895 session only.]
Kent "at-large"
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Notes

References

*cite book |title= Clearing New Ground, The Life of John G. Townsend, Jr. |last= Carter |first= Richard B. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= The Delaware Heritage Press |location= Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year= 2001 |id= ISBN 0-924117-20-6
*cite book |title = History of the State of Delaware |last= Conrad |first= Henry C. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= Wickersham Company |location= Lancaster, Pennsylvania |pages= |year= 1908 |id=
*cite book |title= A History of Delaware Through its Governors |last= Martin |first= Roger A. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= McClafferty Press |location= Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year= 1984 |id=
*cite book |title= Memoirs of the Senate |last= Martin |first= Roger A. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= Roger A. Martin |location= Newark, Delaware |pages= |year= 1995 |id=

=

* [http://www.state.de.us/research/Tour/information/Governors/govs-27.shtml Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery] "Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover."

External links

* [http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=7f6b224971c81010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD William T. Watson at the "Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States"]
* [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/watson9.html#RKD0H2JUK William T. Watson at the "Political Graveyard"]
*Find A Grave|id=7880703
* [http://www.russpickett.com/history/delgov3.htm#watson William T. Watson at "Delaware’s Governors"]

Places with more information

* [http://www.hsd.org/ Historical Society of Delaware] , 505 Market St., Wilmington, Delaware [phone]
* [http://www.lib.udel.edu/ University of Delaware Library] , 181 South College Ave., Newark, Delaware [phone]