David Kemper Watson (June 18, 1849 – September 28, 1918) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

from 1895 to 1897.

Biography

Born near

London, Ohio London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. The population was 10,279 at the 2020 census. ...

, Watson was graduated from

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = J ...

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

, in 1871 and from the law department of

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

in 1873. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice. He served as assistant United States district attorney for the southern district of Ohio during the administration of President Arthur. Watson was elected

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

of Ohio in 1887 and reelected in 1889. In 1890, he successfully prosecuted the

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...

Company under the

Sherman Antitrust Act The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 (, ) is a United States antitrust law which prescribes the rule of free competition among those engaged in commerce. It was passed by Congress and is named for Senator John Sherman, its principal author. Th ...

, leading the court to dissolve the trust. He served as special counsel for the United States in the suits brought by the Government against the Pacific railroads in 1892. Watson was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1896 to the Fifty-fifth Congress. He was appointed by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

as a member of the commission to revise and codify the laws of the United States. He resumed the practice of law. He died in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, September 28, 1918. He was interred in Green Lawn Cemetery. Watson was married to Louise M. Harrison, daughter of Hon.

Richard A. Harrison Richard Almgill Harrison (April 8, 1824July 30, 1904) was a nineteenth-century politician and lawyer from Ohio. Born in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England, Harrison immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1832, settling in Ohio. He ...

, in 1873, and had a son and a daughter.

Publications

* * David K. Watson (1910). The constitution of the united states: its history, application and construction. Imprenta: Chicago, Callaghan, 1910.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, David Kemper 1849 births 1918 deaths People from London, Ohio Dickinson College alumni Boston University School of Law alumni Ohio lawyers Burials at Green Lawn Cemetery (Columbus, Ohio) 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio