David Kemper Watson (June 18, 1849 – September 28, 1918) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

from 1895 to 1897.

Biography

Born near London, Ohio, Watson was graduated from

Dickinson College Dickinson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1773 as Carlisle Grammar School, Dickinson was chartered on September 9, 1783, ...

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census ...

, in 1871 and from the law department of

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

in 1873. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and commenced practice. He served as assistant United States district attorney for the southern district of Ohio during the administration of President Arthur. Watson was elected

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

of Ohio in 1887 and reelected in 1889. In 1890, he successfully prosecuted the

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company was a Trust (business), corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil of Ohio, Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founde ...

Company under the

Sherman Antitrust Act The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 (, ) is a United States antitrust law which prescribes the rule of free competition among those engaged in commerce and consequently prohibits unfair monopolies. It was passed by Congress and is named for S ...

, leading the court to dissolve the trust. He served as special counsel for the United States in the suits brought by the Government against the Pacific railroads in 1892. Watson was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1896 to the Fifty-fifth Congress. He was appointed by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

as a member of the commission to revise and codify the laws of the United States. He resumed the practice of law. He died in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, September 28, 1918. He was interred in Green Lawn Cemetery. Watson was married to Louise M. Harrison, daughter of Hon. Richard A. Harrison of

, in 1873, and had a son and a daughter.

Publications

* * David K. Watson (1910). The constitution of the united states: its history, application and construction. Imprenta: Chicago, Callaghan, 1910.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, David Kemper 1849 births 1918 deaths People from London, Ohio Dickinson College alumni Boston University School of Law alumni Ohio lawyers Burials at Green Lawn Cemetery (Columbus, Ohio) 19th-century American lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives