Foy W. "Bo" Watson (born October 21, 1960) is an American politician and a Republican member of the

Tennessee Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee , Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any ...

, representing the 11th district since 2007.Capitol biography
/ref>

Biography

Bo Watson was born on October 21, 1960, in Chattanooga, TN. He is the son of Doris Juanita (Hoppe) and Foy W. Watson, Jr. He is married to Nicole (née Osborne) Watson, an attorney. He has one son, Grey Watson.

Education

Watson graduated in 1979 from the

Baylor School Baylor School, commonly called Baylor, is a private school, private, coeducational college-preparatory school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1893, the school's current campus comprises 690 acres and enrolls students in grad ...

(a private school located in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

). He graduated magna cum laude from the

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UT Chattanooga, UTC, or Chattanooga) is a public university in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1886 and is part of the University of Tennessee System. History UTC was founde ...

in 1983 with a B.A. in biology and received his education and training in physical therapy at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

Center for Health Sciences in Memphis, Tennessee.

Religion

Watson attends First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga.

Career

Watson has been a practicing physical therapist for over 30 years and he is currently the Director of Sports Medicine and Therapy Services at HCA-Parkridge Medical Center in

Political positions

Transgender rights

In December 2024, Watson expressed support for Tennessee's law banning

gender-affirming care Transgender health care includes the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental health conditions which affect transgender individuals.Gorton N, Grubb HM (2014). General, Sexual, and Reproductive health. In L. Erickson-Schroth. ...

for minors and said Tennessee would not rule out also banning it for adults in the future.

Immigrants' rights

In February 2025, Watson co-sponsored a controversial bill that would allow local education authorities to refuse to enroll or charge tuition to students illegally present in the United States or unable to prove legal residence. This bill seems to challenge the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in '' Plyler v. Doe'', which ruled that children illegally present in the United States cannot be denied access to public education. The bill faced significant criticism from immigrant rights advocates and legal experts, who warned that it would lead to the exclusion of vulnerable children from education.

Election

Watson was first elected as a TN state senator in 2006 for the 105th

Tennessee General Assembly The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Tennessee Senate, Senate and a Tennessee House of Representa ...

, having previously served as a state representative during the 104th General Assembly. He represents the 11th district, which encompasses part of Hamilton County. From July 2011 until January 2017, he was Speaker

pro tempore ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to 'for the time being' in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a '' locum tenens'' ('placeholder'). The phrase is ...

in the Tennessee Senate.Chas Sisk, 'Bo Watson to be next speaker pro tempore', ''

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, w ...

'', April 15, 201

/ref> In 2018, Watson ran against Randall Price in the general election for Tennessee State Senate District 11. On November 6, 2018, Watson defeated Price in the election.

Committees/Community Outreach

In January 2017 Watson became chairman of the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee. He is chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Pensions and Insurance, member of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee and the Fiscal Review Committee. Watson is a past board member of the

Alumni Association and is a past member on the Baylor School Board of Trustees. He has been involved in the Junior Achievement program at Orchard Knob Elementary School and

Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a U.S. non-governmental, and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) Christian nonprofit organization which seeks to build affordable housing. The international ...

. Watson is an

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...

Volunteer and a past board member of the Wesley Center at

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

. He is also a past board member of the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...

Relay for Life and a past board member of the

National Alumni Association.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Bo 1960 births Living people Republican Party Tennessee state senators Politicians from Chattanooga, Tennessee University of Tennessee at Chattanooga alumni American United Methodists 21st-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly