William Marvin Watson (June 6, 1924 – November 26, 2017) was an advisor to

U.S. president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

and was

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official respons ...

from April 26, 1968, to January 20, 1969.

Life and career

Watson was born in

Oakhurst, Texas Oakhurst is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in San Jacinto County, Texas, United States. The population was 233 at the 2010 census. Prior to the 2010 census Oakhurst and Cape Royale CDPs were part of Oakhurst city, which ...

. He received a bachelor's degree in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

and an

M.B.A. A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

, which he initially attended on a music scholarship. Watson entered the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and saw action in the

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campaign during the later stage of the war. He began working for Johnson during the 1948 primary campaign for the Democratic nomination to run for 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 ...

. At that time, there was no noteworthy

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

in Texas, so the primary would effectively decide the election. He continued being active in local politics as a "Johnson Man," rising to become the head of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

in Texas. In 1960, he both helped organize the Kennedy/Johnson campaign in Texas while also working directly for Johnson as an aide while campaigning across the United States. During Johnson's years as both a senator as well as

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

, he repeatedly asked Watson to join his staff, but Watson declined, preferring the freedom of remaining an independent adviser to LBJ, rather than an employee. Johnson called upon Watson to help organize the

1964 Democratic Convention The 1964 Democratic National Convention of the Democratic Party, took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey from August 24 to 27, 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a full term. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnes ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

. Watson found it necessary to remove many Kennedy family loyalists from the convention staff, as he became convinced that they were working to either force Johnson to accept

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, a ...

as his running mate, or else stampede the delegates to have RFK nominated for the presidency instead of Johnson. Watson became the White House Chief of Staff in all but name as White House Appointments Secretary to Johnson in 1965, helping to coordinate passage of much of the

Great Society The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States launched by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964–65. The term was first coined during a 1964 commencement address by President Lyndon B. Johnson at the University ...

domestic agenda. In this position, his workday frequently began shortly after 6:00 in the morning, and he routinely didn't return home for the day until midnight or later; even during his off hours, he remained on call, and quite often found himself back at his desk in the White House on Sundays in order to deal with sudden issues. He was appointed Postmaster General in 1968, and was the last surviving cabinet-level Postmaster General at the time of his death. After the end of the Johnson administration in 1969, Watson became an official with

Armand Hammer Armand Hammer (May 21, 1898 – December 10, 1990) was an American business manager and owner, most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum, a company he ran from 1957 until his death. Called "Lenin's chosen capitalist" by the press, ...

Occidental Petroleum Occidental Petroleum Corporation (often abbreviated Oxy in reference to its ticker symbol and logo) is an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration in the United States, and the Middle East as well as petrochemical manufacturing in the ...

, working with

. He had been offered the U.S. ambassadorship to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

, but declined so as to be able to spend more time with his family. He delivered a eulogy at Johnson's

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

in January 1973, emphasizing Johnson's unswerving dedication to the betterment of America. He served as the president of Dallas Baptist College (now

Dallas Baptist University Dallas Baptist University (DBU) is a Christian liberal arts university in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1898 as Decatur Baptist College, Dallas Baptist University currently operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Hurst. History Dallas Baptist Uni ...

) from 1979 to 1987. Watson died on November 26, 2017, at the age of 93. He was buried at the Texas State Cemetery.

In popular culture

Watson, played by Martin McDougall, was featured in the second episode of season 3 in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

series ''

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''.

References

External links

The President's Gatekeepers-W. Marvin Watson
* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, W. Marvin 1924 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American politicians United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Baylor University alumni Burials at Texas State Cemetery Businesspeople from Texas Dallas Baptist University Lyndon B. Johnson administration cabinet members Military personnel from Texas People from San Jacinto County, Texas Texas Democrats United States Marines United States Postmasters General White House Chiefs of Staff Writers from Texas

Life and career

In popular culture

Further reading

References

External links