John Sebrie Watts (January 19, 1816 – June 11, 1876) was an American attorney, jurist, and politician who held office in the state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

and in the

territory of New Mexico The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becoming ...

Early life and education

Watts was born in

Boone County, Kentucky Boone County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 135,968, making it the fourth-most populous county in Kentucky. Its county seat is Burlington. The county was formed ...

. The youngest of 11 children, Watts was raised in Indiana. He graduated from Indiana College (which later became

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

) in 1835, studied law, 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 ...

, and became a practicing attorney.

Career

Watts served as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives in 1846 and 1847. He then became an associate justice of the United States court in the territory of New Mexico in 1851. In 1854, Watts resigned his post and returned to the practice of law. Watts was elected as 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 ...

delegate to the Thirty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863). He was also a delegate to the 1864 Republican National Convention. Watts helped to equip troops for the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. On July 11, 1868, Watts was appointed chief justice of the

New Mexico Territorial Supreme Court The New Mexico Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is established and its powers defined by Article VI of the New Mexico Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews civil and criminal decis ...

by President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

. Watts served on the Territorial Supreme Court for one year and then practiced law in Santa Fe. He also engaged in land speculation, and one of his land purchases led to a decades-long legal battle culminating in a 1914 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Personal life and death

In 1837, Watts married Elizabeth Howe. John and Elizabeth Watts had three children: Joshua Watts, John Watts Jr., and Fannie (Watts) Bancroft. Watts died in

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside ...

on June 11, 1876, and was interred in Rose Hill Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, John Sebrie 1816 births 1876 deaths Members of the Indiana House of Representatives Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from New Mexico Territory New Mexico Territory judges 19th-century American politicians New Mexico Republicans Indiana Republicans 19th-century American judges