Harry Evans Watkins (November 6, 1898 – June 6, 1963) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia (in case citations, N.D. W. Va.) is a federal court in the Fourth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are ...

and the

United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia The United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia (in case citations, S.D. W. Va.) is a federal court in the Fourth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are ...

Education and career

Born in

Watson Watson may refer to: Companies * Actavis, a pharmaceutical company formerly known as Watson Pharmaceuticals * A.S. Watson Group, retail division of Hutchison Whampoa * Thomas J. Watson Research Center, IBM research center * Watson Systems, make ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, Watkins was a

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 ...

Private First Class in the Signal Corps from 1918 to 1919. He received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from West Virginia University College of Law in 1923. He was in private practice in Fairmont, West Virginia from 1923 to 1937.

Federal judicial service

Watkins was nominated by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

on February 17, 1937, to the

and the

, to a new joint seat created by 49 Stat. 1805. He was confirmed by 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 ...

on March 2, 1937, and received his commission on March 3, 1937. He served as Chief Judge of the Northern District from 1954 to 1963. Watkins served in that capacity until his death on June 6, 1963.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Harry Evans 1898 births 1963 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia United States district court judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt 20th-century American judges Lawyers from Fairmont, West Virginia West Virginia lawyers West Virginia University alumni United States Army soldiers