Sir John Charles Watson, (9 July 1883 – 8 February 1944) was an advocate and

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

from Scotland. He served from 1929 to 1931 as Solicitor General for Scotland in Ramsay MacDonald's second Labour Government. A long-standing activist in the Scottish Liberal Party, his political ambitions were thwarted after his military service in World War I. Instead he built a successful legal practice, and grew closer to the Labour Party, leading to his appointment in 1929 as a law officer.

Early life

Watson was born in Paisley on 9 July 1883. His father Henry C. Watson (died 1929) was editor of a local newspaper, the '' Paisley Daily Express''. He was educated locally at the John Neilson Institution, and then at the University of Glasgow. After graduating with an MA in 1905 and an LLB in 1908, he was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1909.

Career

With the help of his connections in the Liberal Party, Watson built a substantial legal practice. It included a lot of Parliamentary work. Watson served in the armed forces throughout World War I. He initially joined the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

, serving with the

Mediterranean Expeditionary Force The Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF) was the part of the British Army during World War I that commanded all Allied forces at Gallipoli and Salonika. It was formed in March 1915, under the command of General Sir Ian Hamilton, at the beginn ...

and then with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. He then joined the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

and its successor the Royal Air Force, reaching the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. Stationed in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

from 1916 onward, his duties with the RAF included flying a 12-person secret expedition to the

Hedjaz The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provin ...

to liaise with Lawrence of Arabia. He was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

, and in 1918, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). After the war, he was expected to be the Liberal candidate for the Paisley by-election in January 1920. However, the party selected instead H. H. Asquith, the former party leader and Prime Minister who had lost his seat in East Fife at the 1918 general election. Watson abandoned further hopes of a Parliamentary seat, and instead developed his legal career. He became one of the most prominent advocates, and in 1928 he was one of Oscar Slater's counsel in a successful appeal against Slater's conviction in 1909 for murder. He took silk in April 1929, becoming a

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

. Two months later, in June 1929, he was appointed as Solicitor General for Scotland by

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...

. Watson's sympathies had shifted towards Labour since his disappointment in 1920, but he was never a member of the Labour Party. His appointment reflected the difficulties which Macdonald had in appointing Scottish law officers. He was knighted in the Dissolution Honours in November 1931 and appointed as Sheriff of Caithness, Orkney and Shetland. In his spare time, he worked to support the armed services, especially the Highland regiments. During World War II, while his son served overseas with the RAF, Watson served on a number of government committees. Watson was chairman of the Scottish Woolen Comforts Council, and his wife helped to provide woollens to RAF personnel.

Personal life

Watson married Dr Olive Robertson in 1915. They had one son.

Death

On 8 February 1944, Watson died suddenly at

Stoke on Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

, on a train from London to Edinburgh. He was 60 years old. The

inquest An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a coro ...

Hanley Hanley is one of the six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Fenton, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. Hanley is the ''de facto'' city centre, having long been the ...

found that he died from angina pectoris, having been weakened by

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...

about six weeks before his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, John 1883 births 1944 deaths Military personnel from Paisley, Renfrewshire People from Paisley, Renfrewshire Alumni of the University of Glasgow Members of the Faculty of Advocates British Army personnel of World War I Royal Fusiliers soldiers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Members of the Order of the British Empire Scottish Liberal Party politicians Scottish King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel Solicitors General for Scotland Knights Bachelor Scottish sheriffs