James E. Watson

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James E. Watson
U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana
In office March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897
Preceded by	William S. Holman
Succeeded by	William S. Holman
Constituency	4th district
In office March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1909
Preceded by	Henry U. Johnson
Succeeded by	William O. Barnard
Constituency	6th district
Personal details
Born	(1864-11-02)November 2, 1864 Winchester, Indiana
Died	July 29, 1948(1948-07-29) (aged 83) Washington, D.C.
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	DePauw University

James Eli Watson (November 2, 1864 – July 29, 1948) was a

) gives his year of birth as 1862, this is most probably incorrect.

Early life

He was born in

in 1886 and joined his father's law firm.

Political career

Watson campaigned for Republican candidates throughout the 1880s and moved to

, the language of many of his constituents.

He was defeated by Holman in 1896, but was elected from Indiana's 6th congressional district in 1898 to the 56th Congress and reelected to the 57th, 58th, 59th and 60th Congresses (1899–1909).^[1]

Shortly after his arrival in Washington, Watson became the "right-hand man" and protégé of

. While Cannon had his share of adversaries in the House, Watson enjoyed the attention of a wide circle of friends. An enthusiastic storyteller and poker player, he attracted members from both parties. Colleagues would come to the House chamber just to hear him speak—not to be swayed by his conservative views, but to see him put on a good show. As one writer observed, Watson "would work himself up to an astonishing pitch, tear off his collar and necktie, then throw aside his coat and vest, until, clad in trousers, shirt, and suspenders, he could really let himself go."

Watson left the House to run for Governor of Indiana in 1908. Opposed by organized labor, he lost the election to Thomas R. Marshall, the future vice president under Woodrow Wilson. He resumed a private law practice in Rushville, though he continued to participate in Washington politics, supporting Cannon after House Democrats and Republican "insurgents" attempted to oust the speaker in 1909. The following year, Watson wrote Cannon's famous speech defending the leadership's authority, party government, and the rights of the majority. A pivotal moment in House history, the speech enabled Cannon to keep his position, but at a great reduction in power. The House adopted a resolution that prevented Cannon and subsequent speakers from serving on or appointing members to the all-important Rules Committee.

In the years after the House rebellion, Watson remained a prominent figure on Capitol Hill. Among other pursuits, he was a

. While detractors, including members of the House, questioned the propriety of his new occupation, the criticism did not hurt his political standing in Indiana. In fact, he became known as an Indiana boss, and state politicians sought his endorsement as a necessary precursor to winning elections or appointments to higher office.

In 1916, Watson entered the

Benjamin F. Shiveley

, died in March. Both Republican candidates ran for Senate seats in the general election. New defeated Kern, and Watson won the remainder of Shively's term. He was reelected twice (1920 and 1926), serving from 1916 to 1933.

During his Senate tenure, he was

• majority leader
  1929–1933
• chairman, Committee on Woman Suffrage (1919–21),
• chairman, Committee on Revision of the Laws (1919–21),
• chairman,
  Committee on Enrolled Bills
  (1923–25),
• chairman,
  Committee on Interstate Commerce
  (1925–1929),
• chairman,
  Republican Conference
  (1929–33)

In 1929, he was a defendant in a lawsuit wherein it was alleged by William M. Rogers, an avowed Klansman, that Watson had forced him to sign an affidavit recanting testimony before a Senate committee that Watson was also a member of the Ku Klux Klan.^[2]

The Democrats swept both Congress and the presidency in the election of 1932, and Watson lost his Senate seat in a landslide defeat. Following the election, however, Watson remained a fixture of the Washington scene, practicing law and trading stories with his former colleagues in the Republican cloakroom. He also retained, to a lesser degree, his power over Indiana politics. Wendell Willkie, a Republican convert and fellow Hoosier, could attest that Watson's support, or lack thereof, meant everything in the state. When Willkie ran for president in 1940, Watson would not endorse the former Democrat. Reportedly, he justified his refusal by saying, "I may welcome a repentant sinner into my church, but I wouldn't want him to lead the church choir."

Watson is credited with originating the saying If you can't lick 'em, jine 'em.^[3]

Watson died in 1948 in

.

References

• Senate Leaders

• United States Congress. "James E. Watson (id: W000203)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• The Political Graveyard

External links

• Media related to James Eli Watson at Wikimedia Commons

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by William S. Holman	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 4th congressional district 1895–1897	Succeeded by William S. Holman
Preceded by Henry U. Johnson	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 6th congressional district 1899–1909	Succeeded by William O. Barnard
U.S. Senate
Preceded by Thomas Taggart	Harry Stewart New, Samuel M. Ralston, Arthur Raymond Robinson	Succeeded by Frederick Van Nuys
Party political offices
Preceded by James Albertus Tawney	House Republican Whip 1905–1909	Succeeded by John Wilbur Dwight
Preceded by Frank Hanly	Republican nominee for Governor of Indiana 1908	Succeeded by Winfield T. Durbin
Preceded by Hugh T. Miller	Class 3) 1916, 1920, 1926, 1932	Succeeded by Raymond E. Willis
Preceded by Charles Curtis Kansas	Senate Republican Leader 1929–1933	Succeeded by Charles L. McNary Oregon