David Watson (14 February 1870 – 4 December 1924) was a Scottish-born Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the

Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives (Australia), House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter ...

from 1914 to 1917, representing the state of New South Wales. Watson was born in Rutherglen in Scotland, and migrated to Australia at 15, settling in the Newcastle suburb of Lambton. He was a miner there for sixteen years, spent some years with the Australian Baptist Home Mission in the Dungog area, then returned to mining at Newcastle. Watson was working in the Pelaw-Main Colliery when he became president of the Northern District Miners' Union during the 1909 miners' strike, succeeding

Peter Bowling Peter Bowling (19 December 1864 – 22 February 1942) was an Australian coal miner and trade unionist. Bowling was born in Stirling, Scotland to miner Patrick Bowling and Marguerite MacGuire. They lived in mining housing in Dunfirmline, Fife. ...

. He remained in the role until his election to the Senate, with the abolition of the afternoon shift in the mines being a major achievement during this time. Watson was also a long-term temperance advocate and Baptist lay preacher. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Senate at the 1913 federal election. In the federal double dissolution election of

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

, Watson was elected to the

, for a 3 year term, as a Labor Senator from New South Wales. He campaigned against conscription during the 1916 and 1917 referendums. In March 1917, amidst the fallout of the 1916 Labor split, he alleged on the floor of the Senate that Prime Minister

Billy Hughes William Morris Hughes (25 September 1862 – 28 October 1952) was an Australian politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Australia, in office from 1915 to 1923. He is best known for leading the country during World War I, but ...

and Senators George Pearce and

Thomas Givens Henry Thomas Givens (12 June 1864 – 19 June 1928) was an Australian politician. He served as a Senator for Queensland from 1904 until his death in 1928 and was President of the Senate from 1913 to 1926. He began his career in the Australian ...

had attempted to bribe him to join their new National Labor Party, which was furiously denied. Hughes subsequently sued him for slander, which after a high-profile months-long legal battle in the

Supreme Court of Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court comprises ...

was settled in October 1917. Watson lost his seat in the election of 1917. Following his Senate defeat, he turned to full-time temperance organising, initially in Victoria and Queensland before moving to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

1921 to head up the field staff for temperance organisation the New South Wales Alliance. He frequently toured the country speaking in support of prohibition of alcohol in these roles until his death. He attempted to make a political comeback at the 1922 state election, but was defeated. He died at Lewisham Hospital in December 1924 after experiencing complications from a surgical procedure. He was buried in the Baptist section of Sandgate Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, David Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for New South Wales Members of the Australian Senate 1870 births 1924 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians Scottish emigrants to Australia Australian miners