Early life and education
Watson was born in Danville, Virginia, on November 2, 1885. In 1903, he became superintendent of the Havana-American Cigar Company in Tampa, Florida. He served in this position until 1908, when he returned to Virginia to attend Washington and Lee University, where he received his Bachelor of Laws in 1911. Upon graduation, Watson was admitted to the Virginia Bar Association, Virginia Bar and the The Florida Bar, Florida Bar.Political career
Watson served as a municipal judge in Tampa from 1913 until 1915. In 1931, he represented part of Hillsborough County, Florida, Hillsborough County in the Florida House of Representatives. In 1932, he ran for List of Governors of Florida, Governor of Florida. Facing a tough competition, including former Governors John W. Martin and Cary A. Hardee, Watson finished last in the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic primary out of eight candidates, receiving just 1.42% of the vote. In 1935 Watson was appointed as a United States Attorney, United States Special Attorney by the United States Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, a position he served in until 1938. Watson won election in 1940 to become the 27th Attorney General of Florida. As Attorney General, Watson was very strict in his opposition to Labor unions in the United States, labor unions. Watson instituted legal action in order to outlaw closed shops, believing they violated public policy. This was a result of a controversial closed shop agreement between the Tampa Shipbuilding Corporation and the American Federation of Labor. Watson also supported the Taft–Hartley Act and instituted right-to-work laws. Watson served as Florida Attorney General until 1948. In 1948, Watson became a practicing attorney in Tampa. He ran again for governor in 1948, finishing fifth out of nine in the Democratic primary, receiving 9% of the vote. He then ran for the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives, running in District 1, which included Hillsborough County. Watson lost in the Democratic primary runoff, losing 59% to 41% to State Attorney Chester B. McMullen. In 1954, Watson changed his party affiliation to Republican Party (United States), Republican in order to run for a special election following the death of Governor Daniel T. McCarty, Dan McCarty. Watson defeated Charles E. Compton in the Republican primary, and faced Florida Senate, State Senator LeRoy Collins, a staunch Racial segregation, segregationist, in the general election. However, Watson died just two weeks before the election. Despite his death, he still received 20% of the vote.References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, J. Thomas Florida Attorneys General 1885 births 1954 deaths 20th-century American politicians Florida Republicans Florida Democrats People from Danville, Virginia