James S. Watson
James S. Watson | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 29, 1882 |
| Died | 1952 (aged 69–70) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | City College of New York New York Law School |
| Occupation | Judge |
James Samuel Watson (1882–1952) was one of the first two
Biography
James S. Watson was born in
In June 1905, Watson moved to
admitted to the bar of New York in April 1914 and the next month was admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Watson remained at House, Grossman and Vorhaus, now as a lawyer
until 1920, becoming head of their Department of Corporate and Tax Law.
In 1920, Watson and two other black attorneys, S. T. Christian and J. E. Stevens founded their own law firm, where he would practice law until 1930. In 1922, he became Special Assistant
Corporation Counsel to New York City in the Special Franchise Tax Division.[1] He also represented Marcus Garvey during the 1920s.[1]
Watson ran for municipal
Association of the Bar of the City of New York.[1] Tammany Hall eventually relented and Watson was given the nomination and won re-election by a margin of nine-to-one.[1] In 1943, Watson was the first African American to become a new member of the American Bar Association since 1912.[1]
Watson retired from the bench in 1950, becoming president of the Municipal
Family
Watson married a fellow
Jamaican American, Violet Lopez, at New Haven, Connecticut in 1917.[2] Along with Mary McLeod, Violet Lopez Watson was one of the founders of the National Council of Negro Women.[1]
James and Violet Watson had four children,[2] including:
- United States Ambassador to Malaysia[4]
- James Lopez Watson (1922–2001), who became a judge of the United States Court of International Trade
- Douglas C. Watson (d. 1993), a design engineer who helped design the Republic F-105 Thunderchief and the Republic F-84 Thunderjet[5]
- Grace Elizabeth Watson (b. 1924)-Served in the Department of Health Education and Welfare
James and Violet Watson also had several nieces and nephews, including:
- J. Bruce Llewellyn (1927–2010), a prominent businessman[1]
- Colin Powell (b. 1937), the first African American to become United States Secretary of State[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "James S. Watson, Class of 1913", New York Law School Alumni Connections, June 2007
- ^ a b c d Pioneering African Americans in the Courts and the Legal Community Past and Present, p. 21.
- ^ a b c "Profile from Jamaican History Month 2007". Archived from the original on 2019-01-01. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ "Barbara M. Watson is Dead; Former U.S. Diplomat was 64", New York Times, Feb. 18, 1983
- ^ Dennis Hevesi, "Douglas C. Watson, Design Engineer, 73, In Military Aviation", New York Times, June 3, 1993
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