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James E. Watson | |
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.jpg) Watsonc. 1916–17 | |
| Senate Majority Leader | |
| In office March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1933 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Curtis |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Taylor Robinson |
| Leader of the Senate Republican Conference | |
| In office March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1933 | |
| Deputy | Simeon Fess |
| Preceded by | Charles Curtis |
| Succeeded by | Charles L. McNary |
| United States Senator fromIndiana | |
| In office November 8, 1916 – March 3, 1933 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Taggart |
| Succeeded by | Frederick Van Nuys |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana | |
| 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 | James Eli Watson (1864-11-02)November 2, 1864 Winchester, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | July 29, 1948(1948-07-29) (aged 83) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Cedar Hill Cemetery,Suitland, Maryland |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | DePauw University |
James Eli Watson (November 2, 1864 – July 29, 1948) was aU.S. Representative andU.S. Senator fromIndiana. He was the Senate's second officialmajority leader. While an article published by the Senate (seeReferences) gives his year of birth as 1862, this is most probably incorrect.
He was born inWinchester, Indiana, one of six children. His father was a lawyer, aRepublican state legislator, and owner-editor of the local newspaper, theWinchester Herald. At the age of twelve, Watson accompanied his father to the 1876Republican National Convention. Watson attendedDePauw University inGreencastle, Indiana and graduated in 1886. At DePauw he was a member ofPhi Kappa Psi fraternity. He then studied law, was admitted to thebar in 1886 and joined his father's law firm.
Watson campaigned for Republican candidates throughout the 1880s and moved toRushville, Indiana in 1893.
He was elected asU.S. Representative fromIndiana's 4th congressional district in 1894 to the54th Congress (1895–1897), defeating the incumbentDemocraticWilliam S. Holman, in part by speakingGerman, the language of many of his constituents.
He was defeated by Holman in 1896, but was elected fromIndiana's 6th congressional district in 1898 to the56th Congress and reelected to the57th,58th,59th and60th Congresses (1899–1909).[1]
Shortly after his arrival in Washington, Watson became the "right-hand man" and protégé ofSpeakerJoe Cannon. Cannon ensured his selection as the Republicanwhip, trusted him with party strategy in the House of Representatives, and placed him on the powerfulWays and Means Committee. 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 forGovernor of Indiana in 1908. Opposed by organized labor, he lost the election toThomas R. Marshall, the future vice president underWoodrow 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-importantRules Committee.
In the years after the House rebellion, Watson remained a prominent figure on Capitol Hill. Among other pursuits, he was alobbyist for theAmerican Manufacturers Association. 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 theU.S. Senate race against Democratic SenatorJohn W. Kern, but his bitter primary battle againstHarry S. New threatened to divide the state Republican party. Watson won the majority of primary delegates, but according to one source, New had "convincing affidavits of fraud" committed by Watson. As a result, Republican leaders could not decide which candidate to support. They were saved from making the decision when Indiana's other senator,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
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 theKu Klux Klan.[2]
The Democrats swept both Congress and the presidency in the election of1932, 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 fellowHoosier, 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 sayingIf you can't lick 'em, jine 'em.[3]
Watson died in 1948 inWashington D.C. at the age of 83. Dr. Frederick Brown Harris, the former Senate chaplain, performed the funeral service in Washington. Until the end, Watson remained well liked, if not well respected, by House and Senate members. Perhaps only Hoover and Willkie bore a lasting grudge against him. Indeed, even his harshest critics considered Watson the man "impossible not to like". He is interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery,Suitland, Maryland.
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Media related toJames Eli Watson at Wikimedia Commons| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's 4th congressional district 1895–1897 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's 6th congressional district 1899–1909 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Indiana November 8, 1916 – March 4, 1933 Served alongside:Harry Stewart New, Samuel M. Ralston,Arthur Raymond Robinson | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | House Republican Whip 1905–1909 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Indiana 1908 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Hugh T. Miller | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromIndiana (Class 3) 1916,1920,1926,1932 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Charles Curtis Kansas | Senate Republican Leader 1929–1933 | Succeeded by Charles L. McNary Oregon |
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