Frank Watson (born July 26, 1945) is an American former politician. He was 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 ...

member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 51st district from 1983 to 2009, and served as Senate Republican Leader before he resigned that position in late 2008 for health reasons. He was Assistant Majority Leader from 1993 to 2002, and previously served as a State Representative from 1979 to 1982.

Background

Watson, a native of

Greenville, Illinois : Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2020 census was 7,083, up from 7,000 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bond County. Greenville is part of the St. Louis M ...

, was born July 26, 1945, in

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. He graduated from

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

with a bachelor's degree in pharmacy in 1968. In 1972, after becoming a registered pharmacist, he purchased his family's business, Watson's Drugstore, in Greenville. The Watson family had been operating the pharmacy in Greenville since 1881. In 2006, the Watsons sold the store.Allan H. Keith
''Historical Stories: About Greenville and Bond County, IL''
Consulted on August 15, 2007. Watson and his wife Susan, a former teacher and business owner, have two children. They live in Greenville, where they grew up, and in

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. Watson began his political career as a township trustee and later the township supervisor for Central Township in Bond County. He also served as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals for Greenville and as the Bond County coordinator for

James R. Thompson James Robert Thompson Jr. (May 8, 1936 – August 14, 2020), also known as Big Jim Thompson, was an American attorney and politician who served as the 37th governor of Illinois from 1977 to 1991. A moderate Republican who sometimes took more ...

in the

1976 Illinois gubernatorial election The 1976 Illinois gubernatorial election was held in Illinois on November 2, 1976. Incumbent first-term Democratic governor Dan Walker lost renomination to Illinois Secretary of State Michael Howlett, who was an ally of Chicago mayor Richard ...

Illinois General Assembly

In the 1978 general election, Watson was elected as one of three representatives to the Illinois House of Representatives from the 55th district, alongside Dwight Friedrich (R-

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) and Michael Slape (D- Pocohontas). The 55th district, located in

Downstate Illinois Downstate Illinois refers to the part of the U.S. state of Illinois south of the Chicago metropolitan area, which is in the northeast corner of the state and has been dominant in American history, politics, and culture. It is defined as the part ...

, included all of Fayette,

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, and Clinton counties and portions of Madison, St. Clair, Jefferson, and

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counties. In 1981, Democratic incumbent James Donnewald vacated his Senate seat to run successfully for

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. In the 1982 general election, Watson defeated Mayor of Trenton and Democratic candidate Herbert Schlarmann. He became the Illinois Senate's Republican Leader in 2003. As Minority Leader, Watson was reported to often referee the "rancorous" relationship between Senate Democrats and Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich with the help of House Republican Leader Tom Cross. Watson disagreed with Blagojevich's 2003 plan to mortgage the state's Chicago office building, the James R. Thompson Center, for $200 million over 10 years to raise funds for that year's budget hole. Watson said he was "really troubled by this" and noted other debts the state had taken on that year, such as a $10 billion bond to shore up state pension funds.

Retirement

In October 2008, Watson suffered a stroke which was reported to be very minor.Illinois Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson suffers stroke
/ref> On November 4, 2008, he sent a letter to the Republican Caucus stating that he would not seek re-election for the Senate Minority Leadership. Rich Miller
/ref> Watson returned to the Senate for one day in late November, where he was greeted by reporters and House Speaker Michael Madigan. Watson said he was in therapy and anticipated a full recovery. In February 2009, Watson announced that he would resign his Senate seat effective February 16, 2009; Watson said that due to his stroke, he could not effectively carry out his duties for his district. GOP county chairs of the nine counties that make up Watson's district will vote on a replacement for Watson in the Senate. Watson said: "I've come a long way in my recovery, but have a long way to go. That's not fair to my constituents." Watson's resignation was effective February 16, 2009. On February 21, 2009, the Legislative Committee of the Republican Party of the 51st Legislative District, composed of chairmen of county-level Republican party organizations, appointed

Kyle McCarter Kyle McCarter (born June 27, 1962) is an American politician from Illinois and former diplomat. He served as the United States Ambassador to Kenya from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as a Republican member of the Illinois Senate from Febru ...

, a member of the St. Clair County Board to the vacancy.

References

External links

Illinois Senator Frank Watson
official website
Illinois General Assembly - Senator Frank Watson (R) 51st District
official IL Senate website *''Follow the Money'' - Frank Watson
200620042002200019981996
campaign contributions
Project Vote Smart - Senator Frank Charles Watson (IL)
profile
Illinois Senate Republicans - Frank Watson
profile , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Frank 1945 births Living people Politicians from St. Louis Republican Party Illinois state senators Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Purdue University College of Pharmacy alumni People from Greenville, Illinois American businesspeople in retailing American pharmacists 21st-century American politicians