William Marvin Watson (June 6, 1924 – November 26, 2017) was an advisor to

U.S. president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

and was

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. History The practice of having a government official ...

from April 26, 1968, to January 20, 1969.

Life and career

Watson was born in

Oakhurst, Texas Oakhurst is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in San Jacinto County, Texas, United States. The population was 233 at the 2010 census. Prior to the 2010 census Oakhurst and Cape Royale CDPs were part of Oakhurst city, whic ...

. He received a bachelor's degree in

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

and an

M.B.A. A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

from

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

, which he initially attended on a music scholarship. Watson entered the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and saw action in the

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campaign during the later stage of the war. He began working for Johnson during the 1948 primary campaign for the Democratic nomination to run for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. At that time, there was no noteworthy Republican Party in Texas, so the primary would effectively decide the election. Watson continued being active in local politics as a "Johnson Man," rising to become the head of the Democratic Party in Texas. In 1960, he both helped organize the Kennedy/Johnson campaign in Texas while also working directly for Johnson as an aide while campaigning across the United States. During Johnson's years as both a senator as well as

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

, he repeatedly asked Watson to join his staff, but Watson declined, preferring the freedom of remaining an independent adviser to LBJ, rather than an employee. Johnson called upon Watson to help organize the

1964 Democratic Convention The 1964 Democratic National Convention of the Democratic Party, took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, from August 24 to 27, 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a full term. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

. Watson found it necessary to remove many Kennedy family loyalists from the convention staff, as he became convinced that they were working to either force Johnson to accept

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...

as his running mate, or else stampede the delegates to have RFK nominated for the presidency instead of Johnson. Watson became the

White House Chief of Staff The White House chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, a position in the federal government of the United States. The chief of staff is a Political appointments in the United States, politi ...

in all but name as White House Appointments Secretary to Johnson in 1965, helping to coordinate passage of much of the

Great Society The Great Society was a series of domestic programs enacted by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the United States between 1964 and 1968, aimed at eliminating poverty, reducing racial injustice, and expanding social welfare in the country. Johnso ...

domestic agenda. In this position, his workday frequently began shortly after 6:00 in the morning, and he routinely didn't return home for the day until midnight or later; even during his off hours, he remained on call, and quite often found himself back at his desk in the White House on Sundays in order to deal with sudden issues. He was appointed Postmaster General in 1968, and was the last surviving cabinet-level Postmaster General at the time of his death. After the end of the Johnson administration in 1969, Watson became an official with

Armand Hammer Armand Hammer (May 21, 1898 – December 10, 1990) was an American businessman and philanthropist. The son of a Russian Empire-born communist activist, Hammer trained as a physician before beginning his career in trade with the newly estab ...

Occidental Petroleum Occidental Petroleum Corporation (often abbreviated Oxy in reference to its ticker symbol and logo) is an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration in the United States and the Middle East as well as petrochemical manufacturing in the ...

, working with

. He had been offered the U.S. ambassadorship to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

, but declined so as to be able to spend more time with his family. Watson delivered a

eulogy A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a term o ...

at Johnson's

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

in January 1973, emphasizing Johnson's unswerving dedication to the betterment of America. Watson served as the president of Dallas Baptist College (now

Dallas Baptist University Dallas Baptist University (DBU) is a private Baptist university in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1898 as Decatur Baptist College, Dallas Baptist University currently operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Hurst. It is affiliated with the Baptist ...

) from 1979 to 1987. Watson died on November 26, 2017, at the age of 93. He was buried at the

Texas State Cemetery The Texas State Cemetery (TSC) is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, downtown Austin, Texas, Austin, the Capital (political), capital of the U.S. state of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revo ...

In popular culture

Watson, played by Martin McDougall, was featured in the second episode of season 3 in the

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series ''

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

''.

References

External links

The President's Gatekeepers-W. Marvin Watson
* * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, W. Marvin 1924 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American politicians United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Baylor University alumni Burials at Texas State Cemetery Businesspeople from Texas Dallas Baptist University Lyndon B. Johnson administration cabinet members Military personnel from Texas People from San Jacinto County, Texas Texas Democrats United States Marines United States postmasters general White House chiefs of staff Writers from Texas

Life and career

In popular culture

Further reading

References

External links