John Clarence Watts (July 9, 1902 – September 24, 1971) was a U.S. Representative from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. Born in

Nicholasville, Kentucky Nicholasville is a home rule city in and the county seat of Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,490 during the 2020 U.S. Census, making Nicholasville the 10th-largest settlement in the state. Since the late 20th ce ...

, Watts attended the public schools. He was graduated from the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

in 1925 and from its law school in 1927. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1927 and commenced the practice of law in

. Also operated a farm. Police judge of

from 1929 to 1933. County attorney of

Jessamine County, Kentucky Jessamine County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,991. Its county seat is Nicholasville. The county was founded in December 1798. Jessamine County is part of the Lexington-Faye ...

from 1933 to 1945. He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1947 and 1948, serving as floor leader. He served as commissioner of motor transportation for State of Kentucky 1948-1951. Watts was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-second Congress, by special election, April 4, 1951, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Thomas R. Underwood. He was reelected to the ten succeeding Congresses and served from April 4, 1951, until his death from a

stroke A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

on September 24, 1971. He was interred in Maple Grove Cemetery,

. Watts did not sign the 1956

Southern Manifesto The Declaration of Constitutional Principles (known informally as the Southern Manifesto) was a document written in February and March 1956, during the 84th United States Congress, in opposition to racial integration of public places. The manif ...

, and voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1960 and

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights m ...

, but voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, John C. 1902 births 1971 deaths People from Nicholasville, Kentucky Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives 20th-century American politicians

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