Albert Leisenring Watson (December 6, 1876 – December 20, 1960) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania The United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania (in case citations, M.D. Pa.) is a district level federal court with jurisdiction over approximately one half of Pennsylvania. The court was created in 1901 by subdividing t ...

Early life

Watson was born in Montrose,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, on December 6, 1876. His father was Willoughby W. Watson, who practiced law for 50 years in

Susquehanna County Susquehanna County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,434 Its county seat is Montrose. The county was created on February 21, 1810, from part ...

and

Lackawanna County Lackawanna County (; unm, Lèkaohane) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had a population of 215,896 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Scranton. The county ...

. His mother was Marie Kemmerer Watson.

Education and early career

Watson received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1901 and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in 1903 to enter the bar. He was in private practice in

Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

, Pennsylvania from 1903 to 1925. He was a Judge of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

for

, Pennsylvania from 1926 to 1928. He was also a trustee of the Scranton State Hospital and became president of the board in 1923.

Federal judicial service

Nomination

On September 9, 1929, Watson was nominated by President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

to a new seat on the

created by 45 Stat. 1344. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on December 17, 1929, and received his commission the same day. He served as Chief Judge from 1948 to 1955, assuming

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on May 31, 1955. He served in that capacity until his death on December 20, 1960.

Trial of the Scoblick brothers

In January 1953, James P. Scoblick and two of his brothers were indicted in a

check kiting Check kiting or cheque kiting (see spelling differences) is a form of check fraud, involving taking advantage of the float to make use of non-existent funds in a checking or other bank account. In this way, instead of being used as a negotiable i ...

scheme involving their fruit-processing business, Scoblick Bros. Inc. All three were convicted on December 3, 1954. Watson sentenced James Scoblick to 5 years in prison.

Personal life

Watson married Effie Woodville in 1930. Together, they had two sons, Albert Jr., and Warren Woodville Watson. Watson died at 12:30 PM on December 20, 1960. Prior to his death, he had been a patient at the Mercy Hospital in Scranton since October 12.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Albert Leisenring 1876 births 1960 deaths People from Montrose, Pennsylvania Amherst College alumni Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas Judges of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania United States district court judges appointed by Herbert Hoover 20th-century American judges United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law