Fred L. Watson

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Fred L. Watson
Watson, Fred L.JPG
Watson, ca. 1944

Electoral District At-large
Term Start September 1, 1944
Term End August 31, 1948
Preceded by Fred L. Watson (D)
Succeeded by James M. Barr, III (D)

Electoral District Appointed (elected by council)
Term Start January 21, 1944
Term End August 31, 1944
Preceded by Charles P. Nash (D)
Succeeded by Fred L. Watson (D)

President (mayor)
Charlottesville City Council
Electoral District Elected by and from council
Term Start September 1, 1930 (aged 37)
Term End August 31, 1932
Preceded by J. Y. Brown (D)
Succeeded by F. W. Twyman (D)
Electoral District At-large
Term Start September 1, 1928
Term End August 31, 1932
Preceded by Three seat council (1922-1928)
Succeeded by Shelton S. Fife (D)

Vice-president (vice-mayor)
Charlottesville City Council
Electoral District Elected by and from council
Term Start September 1, 1928
Term End August 31, 1930
Preceded by John R. Morris (D)
Succeeded by W. Dan Haden (D)

Biographical Information

Date of birth December 22, 1892
Date of death September 8, 1987 (aged 94) (Riverview Cemetery)
Place of death Charlottesville, VA
Spouse Mary Walker Waddell Watson (1898 - 1970)
Children Martha
Fred
Residence Ward 2, City of Charlottesville
Profession President, Peoples Mortgage Corporation

Frederick Lewis "Fred" Watson (1892-1987) was a former member of the Charlottesville City Council and one of the five original councilmen first elected under the current council-manager form of government. In the 1928 election Watson received the most votes and therefore won one of the three four-year seats on the council. Watson served one term as council president (mayor) and two terms as vice-mayor.[1]

Fred's brother, Robert A. Watson, was elected to the city council from the Second Ward on June 13, 1916 and held office until September 14, 1916 - when the city's form of government changed to a two chamber city council.

Fred Watson was elected to the city council in the 1922 election, when Charlottesville's legislative government consisted of a two chamber city council. He served until September 1, 1922, when the city was taken over by a new council under the "Modified Commission Form" of city municipal government. Watson won one of the five new seats on the Charlottesville City Council in 1928 election. On September 1, 1928, at the first meeting of the new council, Watson was elected vice president (vice-mayor). On September 2, 1930, he was elected president of the council (mayor), succeeding Jury Y. Brown, who declined re-nomination. According to a Daily Progress article (Charlottesville Personalities) published in 1937, Watson was the youngest man ever to hold the office of mayor in Charlottesville, being at the time thirty-seven.[2]

Watson dropped off the Council for several years after his second term ended in 1932, but returned in 1943 to fill out the unexpired term of Charles P. Nash, who had resigned to accept duty in the Marine Corps. Watson was re-elected in 1944, while Nash was reappointed to the Council in 1946 upon his return from military service, to fill out the unexpired term of W. S. Hildreth.

In 1948, Watson was chair of the council's finance committee. [3] Watson announced in early 1948 that he would not seek re-election. [4] [5]


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Biography

Frederick L. Watson was the son of A. Sidney and Louise Wheeler Watson. Fred joined the firm of Hanckle Citizens insurance in 1917. His grandson, John Watson, began his career at the firm in 1981.

In the 1944 election, little interest was shown by Charlottesville voters in the uncontested City Council election held on June 13, 1944. Mayor J. Emmett Gleason, Fred L. Watson and William S. Hildreth were the unopposed candidates for three places on the council.

In 1948, Watson was president of the Peoples Mortgage Corporation.

In June 1948, Watson voted to appointed James E. Bowen as city manager. [6]

References

  1. Print: Change in Election Meets Disapproval, , Daily Progress, Lindsay family January 5, 1960, Page .
  2. Web. Charlottesville Personalities, The Daily Progress, Friday December 17, 1937
  3. Web. Council Gets Budget Carrying Defecit of $84,932, Staff Reports, Daily Progress Digitized Microfilm, Lindsay family, March 16, 1948, retrieved December 12, 2016 from University of Virginia Library. Print. March 16, 1948 page 1.
  4. Web. Over 2,000 Expected to Vote in Tuesday's Council Primary, Staff Reports, Daily Progress Digitized Microfilm, Lindsay family, April 5, 1948, retrieved December 24, 2016 from University of Virginia Library. Print. April 5, 1948 page 11.
  5. Web. Watson Will Not Seek Re-Election, Staff Reports, Daily Progress Digitized Microfilm, Lindsay family, January 30, 1948, retrieved January 28, 2017 from University of Virginia Library. Print. January 30, 1948 page 1.
  6. Web. Bowen is Named Acting Manager by City Council, Staff Reports, Daily Progress Digitized Microfilm, Lindsay family, June 1, 1948, retrieved October 14, 2017 from University of Virginia Library. Print. June 1, 1948 page 1.