Henry Hitt Watkins (June 24, 1866 – September 8, 1947) 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 Western District of South Carolina The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...

Education and career

Born in Laurens County,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, Watkins attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

and received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree from

Furman University Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. It became ...

in 1883. He

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

to enter the bar in 1892, and was in private practice in

Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson Ra ...

, South Carolina from then until 1919. He was in 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 ...

, Company C, First South Carolina Regiment in 1898, where he achieved the rank of captain. He was Quartermaster General for

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Duncan Clinch Heyward Duncan Clinch Heyward (June 24, 1864January 23, 1943) was the 88th governor of South Carolina from January 20, 1903, to January 15, 1907. Heyward was born in Richland County to Edward Barnwell Heyward and Catherine Maria Clinch after his pa ...

from 1903 to 1907.

Federal judicial service

On July 14, 1919, Watkins was nominated by President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

to a seat on the

vacated by

Joseph T. Johnson Joseph Travis Johnson (February 28, 1858 – May 8, 1919) was a United States representative from South Carolina and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of South Carolina. Education and ca ...

. Watkins 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 July 22, 1919, and received his commission the same day. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on December 31, 1936, serving in that capacity until his death on September 8, 1947.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Henry Hitt 1866 births 1947 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of South Carolina United States district court judges appointed by Woodrow Wilson 20th-century American judges United States Army officers People from Laurens County, South Carolina University of Virginia alumni Furman University alumni South Carolina lawyers 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law