John T. Watson (1908 – September 7, 2007)Obituary for JOHN T. WATSON
, ''The Santa Fe New Mexican'' (September 11, 2007), p. C002. was a justice of the

New Mexico Supreme Court The New Mexico Supreme Court () is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is established and its powers defined by Article VI of the New Mexico Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews civil and criminal ...

from May 29, 1969 until December 31, 1970. He left office after losing in the primary. Born in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, Watson came with his family to

Deming, New Mexico Deming (, ''DEM-ing'') is a city in Luna County, New Mexico, Luna County, New Mexico, United States, west of Las Cruces, New Mexico, Las Cruces and north of the Mexico–United States border, Mexican border. The population was 14,758 as of the ...

at the age of five. He attended the local schools and received an undergraduate degree from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

in 1929, followed by a law degree at the

University of Colorado Law School The University of Colorado Law School is one of the professional graduate schools within the University of Colorado System. It is a public law school, with more than 500 students attending and working toward a Juris Doctor or Master of Studies i ...

in 1934. He practiced law for various periods in Albuquerque, and Santa Fe, the latter in partnership with his father. Watson served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

in the

European theatre of World War II The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II, taking place from September 1939 to May 1945. The Allied powers (including the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union and Franc ...

, and in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. On May 23rd, 1969, governor

David Cargo David Francis Cargo (January 13, 1929 – July 5, 2013) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 22nd governor of New Mexico between 1967 and 1971. He was a member of the Republican Party. Early life and education Cargo ...

nominated Watson to a seat on the New Mexico Supreme Court Vacated by the retirement of Justice David W. Carmody.John T. Watson Named To N.M. Supreme Court
, ''The Albuquerque Tribune'' (May 24, 1969), p. 13. Watson's father, John C. Watson, served on the New Mexico Supreme Court in the 1920s and 1930s."Former Justice Watson dies", ''The Santa Fe New Mexican'' (May 8, 1970), p. 1. In 1936, Watson married Jane Graham McCabe, with whom he had two sons. Jane died in 1984, and Watson was later in a relationship with Mirth Hansen for the last 22 years of his life. Watson died at the age of 99.

References

1908 births 2007 deaths University of New Mexico alumni University of Colorado Law School alumni United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War Justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court {{NewMexico-state-judge-stub