James S. Watson
Encyclopedia
James Samuel Watson was one of the first two African Americans elected as a judge
in the state of New York
.
, Jamaica
on May 29, 1882. His father, James Michael Watson, was a Sergeant
in the Jamaica Constabulary Force
and would later work for the Jamaica Government Railway as a conductor
and platform
foreman. His mother's name was Elizabeth Jones Watson. After attending elementary school in Spanish Town, James S. Watson worked as a bookkeeper, cashier
, and then chief clerk at a hotel in Constant Spring, Jamaica
.
In June 1905, Watson moved to New York City
. There he attended evening high school in Harlem
, and graduated from high school in 1910. In 1908, he had begun working for the law firm
of House, Grossman and Vorhaus, located at 115 Broadway
, as a clerk. From 1910 to 1913, Watson took night classes at both the City College of New York
and New York Law School
, from which he received an LL.B. in 1913. He became a United States citizen on July 3, 1913. He was 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. He also represented Marcus Garvey
during the 1920s.
Watson ran for municipal judge
in 1930 and, together with Charles E. Toney, also elected that year, thus became one of the first two black judges in New York state. He served as a judge until his retirement in 1950. He faced a particularly tough re-election campaign in 1940 when Tammany Hall
denied Watson the position of Democratic
nominee in spite of Watson's being endorsed by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York
. Tammany Hall eventually relented and Watson was given the nomination and won re-election by a margin of nine-to-one. In 1943, Watson was the first African American to become a new member of the American Bar Association
since 1912.
Watson retired from the bench in 1950, becoming president of the Municipal Civil Service Commission
. He held this position until his death in 1952. His funeral was attended by over 3,000 people, including nearly every high ranking city official. Vincent R. Impellitteri
, the Mayor of New York City
, was one of the pallbearers at his funeral
.
, Violet Lopez, at New Haven, Connecticut
in 1917. Along with Mary McLeod
, Violet Lopez Watson was one of the founders of the National Council of Negro Women
.
James and Violet Watson had four children, including:
James and Violet Watson also had several nieces and nephews, including:
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
in the state of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Biography
James S. Watson was born in Spanish TownSpanish Town
Spanish Town is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the former Spanish and English capital of Jamaica from the 16th to the 19th century...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
on May 29, 1882. His father, James Michael Watson, was a Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
in the Jamaica Constabulary Force
Jamaica Constabulary Force
The Jamaica Constabulary Force is the police force of the island nation of Jamaica. The official JCF staff numbers 9,930 plus 55 auxiliary positions, making a total of 9,985; its current strength is 8,441. Its commissioner is Owen Ellington, M.Sc, B.Sc, CD...
and would later work for the Jamaica Government Railway as a conductor
Conductor (transportation)
A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...
and platform
Railway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
foreman. His mother's name was Elizabeth Jones Watson. After attending elementary school in Spanish Town, James S. Watson worked as a bookkeeper, cashier
Cashier
Cashier is an occupation focused on the handling of cash money.- Retail :In a shop, a cashier is a person who scans the goods through a machine called a cash register that the consumer wishes to purchase at the retail store. After all of the goods have been scanned, the cashier then collects...
, and then chief clerk at a hotel in Constant Spring, Jamaica
Constant Spring, Jamaica
Constant Spring is a residential neighbourhood in the north of Kingston, Jamaica.Constant Spring is referred to in Althea and Donna's song "Uptown Top Ranking".-References:...
.
In June 1905, Watson moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. There he attended evening high school in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, and graduated from high school in 1910. In 1908, he had begun working for the law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
of House, Grossman and Vorhaus, located at 115 Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
, as a clerk. From 1910 to 1913, Watson took night classes at both the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
and New York Law School
New York Law School
New York Law School is a private law school in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. New York Law School is one of the oldest independent law schools in the United States. The school is located within four blocks of all major courts in Manhattan. In 2011, New York Law School...
, from which he received an LL.B. in 1913. He became a United States citizen on July 3, 1913. He was 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
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is a federal district court. Appeals from the Southern District of New York are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case...
. Watson remained at House, Grossman and Vorhaus, now as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
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
Corporation Counsel
The Corporation Counsel is the title given to the chief legal officer in some municipal and county jurisdictions, who handles civil claims against the city, including negotiating settlements and defending the city when it is sued. Most corporation counsels do not prosecute criminal cases, though...
to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the Special Franchise Tax Division. He also represented Marcus Garvey
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., ONH was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League...
during the 1920s.
Watson ran for municipal judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
in 1930 and, together with Charles E. Toney, also elected that year, thus became one of the first two black judges in New York state. He served as a judge until his retirement in 1950. He faced a particularly tough re-election campaign in 1940 when Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
denied Watson the position of Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nominee in spite of Watson's being endorsed by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York
Association of the Bar of the City of New York
The New York City Bar Association , founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization, formally known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a landmark building on 44th Street, between Fifth and Sixth...
. Tammany Hall eventually relented and Watson was given the nomination and won re-election by a margin of nine-to-one. In 1943, Watson was the first African American to become a new member of the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
since 1912.
Watson retired from the bench in 1950, becoming president of the Municipal Civil Service Commission
Civil Service Commission
-Chairmen:*John Houghton MHK, 2004-date*George Waft MLC, 1996-2004*Clare Christian MLC, 1981-1982*Noel Cringle MLC, 1992-1996*Walter Gilbey, years unknown...
. He held this position until his death in 1952. His funeral was attended by over 3,000 people, including nearly every high ranking city official. Vincent R. Impellitteri
Vincent R. Impellitteri
Vincent Richard Impellitteri was an American politician, who served as the 101st Mayor of New York City.-Biography:He was born in Isnello, Sicily, and moved with his family to the United States as an infant in 1901...
, the Mayor of New York City
Mayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
, was one of the pallbearers at his funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
.
Family
Watson married a fellow Jamaican AmericanJamaican American
Jamaican Americans are Americans of Jamaican heritage or Jamaican-born people who live in the United States of America. American citizenship is not a prerequisite of being a Jamaican American as permanent residents are also given this title....
, Violet Lopez, at New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
in 1917. Along with Mary McLeod
Mary McLeod Bethune
Mary Jane McLeod Bethune was an American educator and civil rights leader best known for starting a school for African American students in Daytona Beach, Florida, that eventually became Bethune-Cookman University and for being an advisor to President Franklin D...
, Violet Lopez Watson was one of the founders of the National Council of Negro Women
National Council of Negro Women
The National Council of Negro Women is a non-profit organization with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African American women, their families and communities. NCNW fulfills this mission through research, advocacy, national and community based services and...
.
James and Violet Watson had four children, including:
- Barbara M. WatsonBarbara M. WatsonBarbara Mae Watson was a United States diplomat who was the first black and the first woman to serve as an Assistant Secretary of State.-Biography:Barbara M. Watson was born in New York City on November 5, 1918, the daughter of James S...
(1918–1983), who was the first African American Assistant Secretary of State and who served as United States Ambassador to MalaysiaUnited States Ambassador to Malaysia-Ambassadors:* Embassy Kuala Lumpur was established on August 31, 1957, with Wright in charge.-See also:*Malaysia – United States relations*Foreign relations of Malaysia*Ambassadors of the United States-References:*-External links:* * *... - James Lopez WatsonJames Lopez WatsonJames Lopez Watson was a judge of the United States Customs Court and of its successor, the United States Court of International Trade....
(1922–2001), who became a judge of the United States Court of International TradeUnited States Court of International TradeThe United States Court of International Trade is an Article III court, with full powers in law and equity. The Customs Court Act of 1980 replaced the old United States Customs Court with the United States Court of International Trade. The Court has nine sitting Judges, as well as Senior Judges... - Douglas C. Watson (d. 1993), a design engineerDesign engineerDesign Engineer is a general term that covers multiple engineering disciplines including electrical, mechanical, industrial design and civil engineering, architectural engineers in the U.S...
who helped design the Republic F-105 Thunderchief and the Republic F-84 Thunderjet - 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 LlewellynJ. Bruce LlewellynJ. Bruce Llewellyn was a prominent American businessman. His personal wealth has been estimated to exceed $160 million. In 1963 he joined others to found 100 Black Men of America, a social and philanthropic organization...
(1927–2010), a prominent businessman - Colin PowellColin PowellColin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
(b. 1937), the first African American to become United States Secretary of StateUnited States Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...