Elmer Stiles Watson (June 19, 1908 – November 24, 1971) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

military officer and politician who served as majority leader of the

Connecticut State Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sena ...

from 1957 to 1959. Following graduation from high school, he took a job at his brother's insurance agency. He also joined the

Connecticut National Guard The Connecticut Military Department is a state agency of the government of Connecticut. Its primary components are the Connecticut Army National Guard, the Connecticut Air National Guard, and four companies of the state militia. The Military Depa ...

and served with the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in World War II. He remained with the Connecticut National Guard after the war and served as its commanding officer from 1949 to 1951. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Watson served as commissioner of the

Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles is a state agency of Connecticut (in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily locate ...

from 1947 to 1949. He subsequently served four terms in the Connecticut State Senate representing the 4th District from 1951 to 1959, acting as the Republican majority leader his last term. He acted as a member of the board of trustees of the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

in his later life and died in 1971.

Early life and education

Watson was born in

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, on June 19, 1908, to parents George I. and Mabel (Avery) Watson. He graduated from

Weaver High School Weaver or Weavers may refer to: Activities * A person who engages in weaving fabric Animals * Various birds of the family Ploceidae * Crevice weaver spider family * Orb-weaver spider family * Weever (or weever-fish) Arts and entertainment ...

in 1925 and earned his Bachelor of Science degree from

Connecticut Agricultural College The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

in 1929. He played baseball, reported for ''

The Daily Campus ''The Daily Campus'', founded in 1896, is a student-run newspaper at the University of Connecticut that has a circulation of 2,000 on weekdays during school term. ''The Daily Campus'' has the largest circulation of any college paper in Connectic ...

'', served on the rifle team for four years and as team captain for two years, and commanded his

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

battalion during his senior year. Immediately after graduation, Watson joined the Hartford-based Arthur A. Watson and Company insurance agency, founded in 1929 by his brother Arthur A. Watson. Elmer Watson eventually rose to senior partner.

Military service

Watson enlisted in the

as a second lieutenant in 1930. During World War II, he served with the

's 43rd Infantry Division as a lieutenant colonel and operations officer on the division general staff. Shot in both legs when Japanese warplanes machine-gunned his position at Munda in 1943, he received the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

, a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

, the

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

, the

Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal The Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal is a United States military award of the Second World War, which was awarded to any member of the United States Armed Forces who served in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945. The medal was created ...

with two battle stars and one bronze arrowhead, the

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...

, and the

American Defense Medal The American Defense Service Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941. The medal was intended to recognize those military service members who had served o ...

. After recuperating, he taught at the

Army and Navy Staff College An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and retired in 1945 as a full colonel. Exiting the US Army, Watson remained in the National Guard. He attained the rank of brigadier general and commanded the Connecticut State Guard from 1949 to 1951. He retired as a major general.

Political career

Governor

Raymond E. Baldwin Raymond Earl Baldwin (August 31, 1893 – October 4, 1986) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Connecticut and also as the 72nd and 74th Governor of Connecticut. A conservative Republican, he was elected governo ...

appointed Watson, a fellow

, as commissioner of the

in 1945. However, the Democratic-controlled state senate refused to confirm Watson until January 1947. Watson served to 1949, introducing a point system and other reforms. In 1948, he was vice president of the Eastern Conference of the

American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) is a non-governmental, voluntary, tax-exempt, nonprofit educational association. AAMVA is a private corporation which strives to develop model programs in motor vehicle administration, ...

. From 1951 to 1959, Watson served four terms in the Connecticut State Senate representing the 4th District, centered on Wethersfield. He served as senate majority leader from 1957 to 1959. Elected by the alumni, Watson served on the board of trustees of the

from 1945 to 1965. He had purchased the first Husky Mascot, Jonathan I, in 1935 with his own money and offered to pay for the purchase of a new husky after Jonathan IV died unexpectedly in 1958. With Willard H. Allen, Watson received UConn's inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award in 1956. Opened in 1966, Watson Residence Hall was named in his honor.

Personal life

Watson married Cornelia Williamson at

Dobbs Ferry, New York Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 according to the 2010 United States Census. In 2019, its population rose to an estimated 11,027. The village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a p ...

, on September 21, 1935. The couple had two children: Charles Stiles and Margaret Torrey. He was president of the Automobile Club of Hartford for 16 years. He was active in the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

and other local civic organizations. He died at his Wethersfield home on November 24, 1971, at the age of 63.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Elmer S. 1908 births 1971 deaths People from Hartford, Connecticut People from Wethersfield, Connecticut University of Connecticut alumni American businesspeople in insurance Republican Party Connecticut state senators 20th-century American politicians National Guard (United States) generals United States Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Legion of Merit