Thomas Edward Watson

Office:	Junior Senator, Georgia
Political party:	Populist Party
Term of office:	March 1921-November 1922
Preceded by:	M. Hoke Smith
Succeeded by:	Rebecca L. Felton
Born:	September 5, 1856 Thomson, Georgia
Died:	September 26, 1922 Washington, DC
Spouse:	Georgia Durham Watson

Thomas Edward Watson (5 September 1856–26 September 1922), generally known as Tom Watson, was a United States politician from Georgia. In early years, Watson championed poor farmers and the working class; later he became a controversial publisher and Populist politician. Two years before his death, he was elected to the United States Senate. His virulent attacks on the Roman Catholic Church, African Americans, Jews, the League of Nations, President Woodrow Wilson and the war effort in World War I diminished his political influence. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (496x620, 43 KB)Thomas E. Watson, 1915 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Peoples Party, Popular Party, or Populist Party, is any of several political parties claiming to speak for the people; see Populism. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Michael Hoke Smith (September 2, 1855 – November 27, 1931) was a newspaper owner, United States Secretary of the Interior (1893-1896), Democratic Governor of Georgia (1907-1909,1911), and a United States Senator (1911-1920) from Georgia. ... Rebecca Latimer Felton (June 10, 1835-January 24, 1930) was the first woman to serve in the United States Senate. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Thomson is a city located in McDuffie County, Georgia. ... September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 96 days remaining. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 96 days remaining. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Farmer spreading grasshopper bait in his alfalfa field. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... The Populist Party was a short-lived political party in late 19th century in the United States. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. ... The presidential seal was used by president Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924) was the 28th President of the United States (1913–1921). ... The only atomic weapons ever used in war - the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan by the United States on August 9, 1945, effectively ending World War II. The bombs over Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki immediately killed over 120,000 people. ... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead:5 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:8 million Military dead:4 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:7 million The First World... Politics, sometimes defined as the art and science of government[1], is a process by which collective decisions are made within groups. ...

Early career

Watson was born in Thomson, the county seat of McDuffie County, Georgia. After graduating from Mercer University, he became a school teacher. Watson later studied law and was admitted to the Georgia bar in 1875. He joined the Democratic Party and in 1882 was elected to the Georgia Legislature. Thomson has several meanings: Thomson SA, formerly known as Thomson Multimedia, a French electronics manufacturer and media services provider. ... McDuffie County is a county located in the state of Georgia. ... Mercer University is an independent, coeducational, church-related, private university located in Macon, Georgia and Atlanta, Georgia. ... American high school students in a school A school is most commonly a place designated for learning. ... A teachers room in a Japanese middle school, 2005. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A bar association is a body of lawyers who, in some jurisdictions, are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession. ... 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. ...

As a state legislator, Watson struggled unsuccessfully to curb the abuses of the powerful railroad corporations. A bill subjecting railroads to county property taxes was voted down after U.S. Senator Joseph E. Brown offered to provide the legislators with round-trip train fares to the Louisville Exposition of 1883. In disgust, Watson resigned his seat and returned to the practice of law before his term expired. This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... A corporation is a legal person that exists quite separately from the natural persons who work with and for it. ... A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. ... // Property tax is an ad valorem tax that an owner of real estate or other property pays on the value of the thing taxed. ... Joseph Emerson Brown (April 15, 1821–November 30, 1894), often referred to as Joe Brown, was a Governor of Georgia from 1857 to 1865, and a U.S. Senator from 1880 to 1891. ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Congressman

Watson began to support the Farmers' Alliance platform, and was elected to the United States House of Representatives as an Alliance Democrat in 1890. In Congress, he was the only Southern Alliance Democrat to abandon the Democratic caucus, instead attending the first Populist Party congressional caucus. At that meeting, he was nominated for Speaker of the House by the eight Western Populist Congressmen. Watson was instrumental in the founding of the Georgia Populist Party in early 1892. The Populist Party advocated the public ownership of the railroads, steamship lines and telephone and telegraph systems. It also supported the free and unlimited coinage of silver, the abolition of national banks, a system of graduated income tax and the direct election of United States Senators. As a Populist, Watson tried to unite the agrarians across class lines, overcoming racial divides. He also supported the right of African American men to vote. Unfortunately, the failures of the Populist party's attempt to make political progress through fusion tickets with the Democrats in 1896 and 1898 deeply affected Watson. He became a virulent racist, blaming the minorities in the South for Populism's failures. The Farmers Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement among U.S. farmers that flourished in the 1880s. ... The chamber of the United States House of Representatives is located in the south wing of the Capitol building, in Washington, D.C.. This photograph shows a rare glimpse of the four vote tallying boards (the blackish squares across the top), which display each members name and vote as... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... Congress in Joint Session. ... The U.S. Southern states or the South, also known colloquially as Dixie, constitute a distinctive region covering a large portion of the United States, with its own unique heritage, historical perspective, customs, musical styles, and cuisine. ... A caucus is most generally defined as being a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement. ... The Populist Party was a short-lived political party in late 19th century in the United States. ... It has been suggested that List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives be merged into this article or section. ... The Western United States, also referred to as the American West or simply The West, traditionally refers to the region constituting the westernmost states of the United States (see geographical terminology section for further discussion of these terms). ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Paddle steamers - Lucerne-Switzerland Left: original paddlewheel from a paddle steamer on the lake of Lucerne. ... The telephone or phone (Greek: tele = far away and phone = voice) is a telecommunications device which is used to transmit and receive sound (most commonly voice and speech) across distance. ... Telegraphy (from the Greek words tele = far away and grapho = write) is the long distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters, originally over wire. ... A bank is an institution that provides financial service, particularly taking deposits and extending credit. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ...

Watson served in the House of Representatives from 1891 until March 1893. After being defeated he returned to work as a lawyer in Thomson, Georgia. He also served as editor of the People's Party Paper 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Vice presidential candidate

In the 1896 presidential election the leaders of the Populist Party entered into talks with William Jennings Bryan, the proposed Democratic Party candidate. They were led to believe that Watson would become Bryan's running mate. After giving their support to Bryan, the latter announced that Arthur Sewall, a conservative politician with a record of hostility towards trade unions, would be his vice presidential choice. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... William Jennings Bryan, 1907 William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, statesman, and politician. ... Arthur Sewall (November 25, 1835 _ September 5, 1900 was a U.S. Democratic politician from Maine most notable as William Jennings Bryans first running mate in 1896. ... Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... The Vice President of the United States is the second-highest executive official of the United States government. ...

This created a split in the Populist Party; some refused to support Bryan whereas others, such as Mary Lease, reluctantly campaigned for him. Watson's name remained on the ballot as the vice presidential nominee of only the Populist Party while Sewall was listed as that of the Democratic Party; both parties listed Bryan as their presidential nominee. Watson won 217,000 votes for Vice President, less than a quarter of the number of votes received by the 1892 Populist ticket but by far the most ever received by a Populist candidate at the national level after that. Presidential electoral votes by state. ...

The defeat of Bryan severely damaged the Populist Party. While Populists continued to hold power for several years in a few Western states, the party ceased to be a factor in national politics.

Presidential candidate

As his own personal wealth grew, Watson denounced socialism, which had drawn many converts from the ashes of Populism. He became a vigorous anti-Semite and anti-Catholic crusader who called for the reorganization of the Ku Klux Klan. He was the Populist Party's presidential candidate in 1904 and won 117,183 votes, a doubling of the Populist showing in 1900, but less than one-eighth of the party's support from just 12 years earlier. Wealth derives from the old english word weal, which meant well-being or welfare. The term was originally an adjective to describe the possession of such qualities. ... Socialism is a political philosophy advocating an economic system in which the means of production are owned and controlled collectively. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ... Summary The election was held on November 8, 1904. ... 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday. ...

The party's fortunes continued to decline and in the 1908 presidential campaign Watson attracted only 29,100 votes. Though he never received more than 1% of the vote on a national level, Watson had respectable showings in selected Western and Southern states. In both campaigns his home state of Georgia was where much of his support was concentrated, first capturing 18% and later 12% of the vote there. Major party conventions The 1908 Republican Convention was held in Chicago from 16 June to 19 June. ...

Subsequent influence

Through his publications Watson's Magazine and The Jeffersonian, Watson continued to have great influence on public opinion, especially in his native Georgia.

In 1913 he played a prominent role in inflaming public opinion in the case of Leo Frank, a Jewish American factory manager who was accused of the murder of Mary Phagan, a 13 year-old factory worker. Watson and the Southern press sensationalized the case, directing racist and anti-Semitic comments against Frank while making wild, unsubstantiated charges. Frank was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Lucille and Leo Frank at Franks trial. ... A Jewish American (also commonly American Jew) is an American (a citizen of the United States) of Jewish descent who maintains a connection to the Jewish community, either through actively practicing Judaism or through cultural and historical affiliation. ... Mary Phagan, age 13 Mary Phagan (June 1, 1900 - April 26, 1913), born in Marietta, Georgia was an employee of the National Pencil Factory in Atlanta, on the premises of which she was raped and strangled on April 26, 1913. ... An African-American man drinks out of the colored only water cooler at a racially segregated streetcar terminal in the United States in 1939. ... // Capital Punishment, or the death penalty, is the severest punishment that can be legally imposed by the Government for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offenses. ...

On June 20, 1915, departing Governor of Georgia John M. Slaton commuted the sentence of Frank to life in prison. The decision followed a lengthy appeals process. Watson railed against the decision and called for Georgians to take justice into their own hands. On August 17, 1915, Frank was dragged from his prison cell by a group of men and lynched. June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... This is a list of Governors of the state of Georgia, including governors of the British colony of Georgia. ... John Marshall Slaton, or Jack Slaton, served two non-consecutive terms as the Governor of Georgia. ... Life imprisonment is a term used for a particular kind of sentence of imprisonment. ... August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Lynching is a term loosely applied to various forms of violence, usually murder, conceived by its perpetrators as extra-legal punishment of offenders by a summary procedure, ignoring, or even contrary to, the strict forms of law, notably execution, or used as a terrorist method of enforcing social domination. ...

Senator

Watson rejoined the Democratic Party and in 1920 was elected to the U.S. Senate. However, he died in 1922 of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 66. This triggered an historic event when Rebecca L. Felton was appointed to replace him, making her the first female in the Senate. 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... A stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident (CVA), is an acute neurologic injury whereby the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted, either by a clot in the artery or if the artery bursts. ... Rebecca Latimer Felton (June 10, 1835-January 24, 1930) was the first woman to serve in the United States Senate. ...

Further reading

• Tom Watson: Agrarian Rebel, by C. Vann Woodward
• The Life of Thomas E. Watson, by William W. Brewton

The Populist Party was a short-lived political party in the United States in the late 19th century. ... The Vice President of the United States is the second-highest executive official of the United States government. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Ignatius Donnelly, American congressman, populist, and writer. ... The Populist Party was a short-lived political party in the United States in the late 19th century. ... The presidential seal was used by president Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... Summary The election was held on November 8, 1904. ... Major party conventions The 1908 Republican Convention was held in Chicago from 16 June to 19 June. ...

External links

• Thomas Edward Watson (Biographical Directory of the US Congress)
• "Tom Watson" (vassar.edu)
• "Fiery politician alienated many" (from the Augusta Chronicle)

This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress is a biographical dictionary of all members of both houses of the United States Congress, past and present. ...