Cornelius Clarkson Watts (1848–1930), or C. C. Watts, was an American lawyer and politician. He served as United States Attorney for the District of West Virginia and

Attorney General of West Virginia Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...

. In 1896, Watts was the

Democratic party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

candidate for

Governor of West Virginia A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

Early and family life

He was born April 23, 1848, at

Amherst, Virginia Amherst (formerly Dearborn) is a town in Amherst County, Virginia, Amherst County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,231 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Amherst County, Virginia, Amherst County. Amherst is part of the Lync ...

. His parents, James D. and Lucy A. (Simms) Watts, lived in Amherst until the beginning of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, when they removed to

Albemarle County, Virginia Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Char ...

. Sixteen year old C.C. Watts joined the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

and served as a private soldier in Mosby's Command. After the war, he studied law and was educated at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Career

In 1870, Watts moved to West Virginia and began the practice of his profession at

Oceana, West Virginia Oceana is a town in Wyoming County, West Virginia. The population was 1,462 at the time of the 2020 census. Oceana is the oldest city in Wyoming County and was the county seat until 1907. Oceana was the eponym of the film Oxyana. The town has a t ...

. He was elected prosecuting attorney for

Wyoming County, West Virginia Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the sou ...

, in 1872, and held the office until 1875. In that year he moved to Charleston and became a member of the law firm of Kenna & Watts. He was nominated and elected by the Democratic party, in 1880, as Attorney General for West Virginia, and served his term of four years. While attorney general, he argued many important cases for the State, and with Maj. 0. D. Cook, his faithful assistant, got out nine volumes of Supreme Court reports. He argued the tax case of ''Chesapeake & Ohio Ry. Co. v. Miller'', 114 U.S. 176 (1885) on March 22, 1885, in the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. In that case, he served as Attorney for the State under the employment and appointment of Governor Jacob B. Jackson, after his term of office as Attorney General had expired. In this litigation the State was successful, and besides gaining for itself and the counties through which the road runs, some $200,000, it established the right to forever tax, not only this railway, but all railroads now or hereafter to be built in West Virginia. In August 1886, President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

sent his name to 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 ...

to be Attorney of the United States for the District of West Virginia. The appointment was confirmed on August 3, 1886, for the term of four years. However, after the election of 1888, which resulted in Mr. Cleveland's defeat, Watts began such a vigorous prosecution of the " Election Fraud Cases," that on March 9, 1889, Attorney General

William H. H. Miller William Henry Harrison Miller (September 6, 1840 – May 25, 1917) was an American lawyer and Attorney General of the United States. Early life, education, and military service Born in Augusta, New York, one of the ten children born to Curtis ...

, by direction of President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

, telegraphed U.S.Attorney Watts requesting his resignation. Whereupon he immediately replied by telegram:

Your telegram of this date, by direction of the President, requesting my resignation of the office of United States Attorney for the District of West Virginia, has been received. I know of no act of mine, either official or otherwise, which, in the absence of cause being assigned, would, under existing circumstances, justify me in tendering my resignation. I therefore respectfully decline to make such resignation. If the President wants me to vacate the office of United States Attorney, without cause being assigned therefore, let him assert his prerogative.

On April 4, 1889, he was notified by the President of his removal. In 1891-1894 Watts served as a member of

West Virginia State Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the Democratic Party held a supermajority in the ...

from the 9th District. He was the Democratic party candidate for Governor of West Virginia in 1896, defeated by Republican party candidate

George W. Atkinson George Wesley Atkinson (June 29, 1845 – April 4, 1925), a cavalryman, lawyer, politician, judge and scholar, became the 10th Governor of West Virginia after running as the candidate of the Republican Party. He also served in the West Virgini ...

Death and legacy

He died in Charleston on May 28, 1930, and was interred at Spring Hill Cemetery, Charleston. His home,

Breezemont Breezemont, also known as the Gen. C. C. Watts House, is a historic home located at Charleston, West Virginia. It was built about 1905 for Cornelius Clarkson Watts (1848–1930) an individual who contributed quite significantly to the history ...

, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982.

Sources

Google books reference
George Wesley Atkinson and Alvaro Franklin Gibbens, ''Prominent Men of West Virginia'' (Wheeling, W. Va.: W. L. Callin, 1890) p. 812-813.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Cornelius Clarkson 1848 births 1930 deaths Burials at Spring Hill Cemetery (Charleston, West Virginia) Confederate States Army soldiers County prosecuting attorneys in West Virginia People from Albemarle County, Virginia People from Amherst, Virginia Lawyers from Charleston, West Virginia People from Wyoming County, West Virginia People of Virginia in the American Civil War United States Attorneys for the District of West Virginia University of Virginia alumni West Virginia Attorneys General West Virginia lawyers Democratic Party West Virginia state senators Politicians from Charleston, West Virginia 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians