A. D. "Aus" Watts was a North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 politician. A Democrat, Watts represented Iredell County, North Carolina

Iredell County, North Carolina

Iredell County, along with Moore County in the eastern Piedmont, are among a very few counties in the United States sharing borders with nine adjacent counties.-Demographics:...

 in the North Carolina House of Representatives

North Carolina House of Representatives

The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the state senate....

 (1901 and 1903) and in the North Carolina Senate

North Carolina Senate

The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...

.

In 1912, Watts did not support Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...

 for the Democratic nomination for President, but Wilson appointed him as a federal revenue collector for western North Carolina in 1913, at the behest of Sen. Lee S. Overman.

His most important role, arguably, was as "chief lieutenant" to U.S. Senator Furnifold Simmons, whose powerful political machine dominated North Carolina politics in the early 20th century, according to journalist Rob Christensen. Watts was instrumental in helping Cameron Morrison win the Democratic primary for Governor

Governor of North Carolina

The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...

 in 1920, using race-baiting tactics. After the election, Morrison appointed Watts the first state revenue commissioner. He resigned in 1923 after police caught him in the company of an African-American prostitute. Watts returned to his hometown of Statesville

Statesville, North Carolina

Statesville is a city located in Iredell County, North Carolina, United States and was named an All-America City in 1997 and 2009. The population was 24,633 at the 2010 census...

, where he died four years later. Most of the state's Democratic Party leadership attended his funeral.