Sir John Bertrand Watson (16 May 1878 – 16 February 1948) was an English

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician.

Family and education

Watson was born in

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...

, the son of John Wilson Watson, JP, a timber merchant from Stockton. He was educated at

Harrogate College Harrogate College, formerly known as Harrogate College of Further Education and later Harrogate College of Arts and Technology, is a further education college in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. It offers several levels of qualifications, ...

. In 1909, he married Ethelwynne Gladys Jameson, also from Stockton and they had two sons and two daughters.

Career

Watson studied the law and was admitted as a solicitor in 1900, passing his final examination with honours. From 1902 to 1911 he served as Deputy

Coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

for

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

. In 1919 he was

called to the Bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

and was later a

Bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher c ...

. When he was first appointed a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

in 1928 he sat at the North London Court. In 1931 he was transferred to

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell ( ) is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an Civil Parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish from the medieval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The St James's C ...

where he stayed until 1936 when he resigned through ill-health, having suffered a series of heart attacks. In 1938 he was well enough to be re-instated and he was appointed to sit at

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

Court and then from 1941 onwards at

Bow Street Bow Street is a thoroughfare in Covent Garden, City of Westminster, Westminster, London. It connects Long Acre, Russell Street and Wellington Street, and is part of a route from St Giles, London, St Giles to Waterloo Bridge. The street was ...

. Later in 1941, on the death of the sitting Chief Magistrate, Sir Robert Dummett, Watson was appointed to succeed him. Among the cases he presided over was the committal for trial for treason of William Joyce, Lord Haw-Haw in 1945.

Politics

Watson had a career in local government as a member of Durham County Council from 1912 to 1919 and on Stockton Town Council, of which he was Mayor in 1915–1916. In 1917, the town's sitting Liberal MP died and Watson was chosen as the candidate for the resulting

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

. He easily held the seat as a

Coalition Liberal The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place soon after British victory in the ...

. At the 1918 general election Watson was returned unopposed as a Coalition Liberal. At the 1922 general election he faced a three-cornered contest against a Labour candidate

Frederick Fox Riley Frederick Fox Riley (17 August 1869 – 3 February 1934) was a British trade unionist and politician. Born in Hinckley in Leicestershire, Riley worked for the Post Office and became involved in the Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association, risi ...

(later MP for

from 1929 to 1931) and an Independent Liberal, Robert Strother Stewart, a supporter of

H H Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...

. He held his seat beating Riley by a majority of 1,213 votes. However he chose not to stand at the 1923 general election when Stewart won the seat, beating future Conservative Prime Minister

Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986), was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Nickn ...

Appointments

Watson was briefly Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Rt Hon.

Edward Shortt Edward Shortt, KC (10 March 1862 – 10 November 1935) was a British lawyer and Liberal Party politician. He served as a member of David Lloyd George's cabinet, most significantly as Home Secretary from 1919 to 1922. Background and education ...

, KC, MP when he was

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...

in 1919.

Death

Watson died in harness as Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. He collapsed and died half an hour after the luncheon adjournment at Bow Street on 16 February 1948 at the age of 69 years.The Times, 17 February 1948 p7

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, John Bertrand 1878 births 1948 deaths English solicitors English barristers Members of Gray's Inn UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 Knights Bachelor Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Mayors of places in North East England People from Stockton-on-Tees Politics of County Durham Councillors in County Durham National Liberal Party (UK, 1922) politicians