Harvey Magee Watterson (November 23, 1811 – October 1, 1891) was an American lawyer,

newspaper editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

, and politician. Watterson was what his only child Henry later described as an "undoubting

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

of the schools of Jefferson and

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

",Marse Henry: An Autobiography. Volume I
from a UNC-Chapel Hill website active in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

politics at both the state and federal level.

Biography

Watterson was born in Bedford County, Tennessee. He pursued classical studies, studied law at Cumberland College in

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

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 ...

, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in Shelbyville,

Career

Watterson established and edited a newspaper in Shelbyville in 1831. He was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1835. Elected as a

to the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Congresses, representing

's ninth district in the U.S. House of Representatives, Watterson served from March 4, 1839 to March 3, 1843. His son Henry described those years in his autobiography: :Immediately succeeding Mr. Polk, and such a youth in appearance, he attracted instant attention. His father, my grandfather, allowed him a larger income than was good for him — seeing that the ''

per diem ''Per diem'' (Latin for "per day" or "for each day") or daily allowance is a specific amount of money that an organization gives an individual, typically an employee, per day to cover living expenses when travelling on the employer's business. A '' ...

'' then paid Congressmen was altogether insufficient — and during the earlier days of his sojourn in the national capital he cut a wide swath; his principal yokemate in the pleasures and dissipations of those times being Franklin Pierce, at first a representative and then a senator from New Hampshire. Fortunately for both of them, they were whisked out of Washington by their families in 1843. Watterson was sent by President

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig tick ...

on a diplomatic mission to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, where he remained for two years. From 1845 to 1847, he was a member of the

Tennessee Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any issue rega ...

and served as speaker. The editor and proprietor of the ''Nashville Union'' from 1847 to 1851, Watterson was also the editor of the ''Washington Union'' starting in 1851. With his friend Pierce's election as President of the United States in 1853, the ''Washington Union'' became the "organ of the Administration." Again according to Watterson's son, the two's "rather conspicuous frivolity" resumed: : e national capital was still rife with stories of their escapades. One that I recall had it that on a certain occasion returning from an excursion late at night my father missed his footing and fell into the canal that then divided the city, and that Pierce, after many fruitless efforts, unable to assist him to dry land, exclaimed, "Well, Harvey, I can't get you out, but I'll get in with you," suiting the action to the word. And there they were found and rescued by a party of passers, very well pleased with themselves. Watterson was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention at

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in 1860, and was a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...

on the Douglas ticket for that year's presidential election. After 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 ...

, he was appointed by President Andrew Johnson as one of a commission to investigate the behavior in the states "lately in rebellion." Watterson practiced law in Washington, D.C. for fourteen years. He moved to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

and was a member of the editorial staff of the ''

Louisville Courier-Journal The ''Courier Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), and called ''The Courier-Journal'' between November 8, 1868, and October 29, 2017, is the highest circulation newspape ...

'', the newspaper founded by his son Henry.

Death

Watterson died in Louisville on October 1, 1891. He is interred at

Cave Hill Cemetery Cave Hill Cemetery is a Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at Louisville, Kentucky. Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of buri ...

References

External links

October 1865 letter from Watterson to President Johnson
from the website of the

Georgia Historical Society The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is a statewide historical society in Georgia. Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, GHS is one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States. Since 1839, the society has collected, examined, and tau ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watterson, Harvey Magee 1811 births 1891 deaths Cumberland College (Princeton, Kentucky) alumni Democratic Party Tennessee state senators Democratic Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives American newspaper editors Tennessee lawyers Lawyers from Washington, D.C. 1860 United States presidential electors Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American politicians The Courier-Journal people 19th-century American lawyers