Watertown is a city in Jefferson and

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. The population was 22,926 at the 2020 census, of which 14,674 were in Jefferson County and 8,252 were in Dodge County. Division Street, several blocks north of downtown, marks the county line. Watertown is a principal city of the Watertown–Fort Atkinson micropolitan statistical area which is in turn a sub-market of the larger Milwaukee–Waukesha–Racine combined statistical area.

History

Origin

Watertown was first settled by Timothy Johnson, who built a cabin on the west side of the Rock River in 1836. He was born in Middleton,

Middlesex County, Connecticut Middlesex County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 164,245. The county was created in May 1785 from portions of Hartford County and New London County. Middlese ...

, on June 28, 1792. A park on the west side of the city is named in his honor. The area was settled to utilize the power of the Rock River, which falls in two miles (two dams). In contrast, the Rock River falls only in upstream from Watertown. The water power was first used for

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

s, and later prompted the construction of two

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

dams, one downtown (where the river flows south) and one on the eastern edge of the city (where the river flows north). Watertown's founders were settlers from

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

, part of a wave of New England farmers who headed west into what was then the wilds of the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...

during the early 1800s. Most of them arrived as a result of the completion of the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

as well as the end of the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Sauk leader), Black Hawk, a Sauk people, Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of ...

. When settlers arrived in what is now Jefferson there was nothing but dense

virgin forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without Disturbance (ecology), disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organizati ...

and wild prairie. They built farms, roads, and government buildings and established post routes. They brought many of their

Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Their various meanings depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, the Northeastern United Stat ...

values, such as a passion for education, establishing many schools as well as staunch support for

abolitionism Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. ...

. They were mostly members of the

Congregationalist Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

though some were

Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...

. Due to the

second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the late 18th to early 19th century in the United States. It spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching and sparked a number of reform movements. Revivals were a k ...

some had converted to

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

and others had become

Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

before moving to Watertown. Like much of Wisconsin, Watertown would be culturally very continuous with New England culture for most of its early history. It was incorporated as a village in 1849, and chartered as a city in 1853. In the 1850s, immigrants arrived in Watertown from Germany. Most of the German immigrants who arrived in Watertown brought with them the trappings of the German middle class, including a proclivity for classical music, the Latin language and ornate furniture. Unlike instances in other parts of the country in which they faced discrimination and xenophobia, they were welcomed with open arms by the population of Watertown. This warm reception led to chain migration, which in turn greatly increased the German population of the region. Culturally they had much in common with the New England-derived population. For instance, both groups unanimously opposed slavery and both had a pronounced love for commerce and industry. Economically, both communities would thrive in Watertown for the entirety of the 19th century, not facing any measurable economic hardships until the Great Depression in the following century.

Milwaukee and Rock River Canal

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

from

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

to the Watertown area was once planned, but was replaced by railroad before any work had been completed, other than a dam in Milwaukee. The territorial legislature incorporated the Milwaukee and Rock River Canal company in 1836, but the plan was abandoned in 1848. The canal would have provided a waterway between the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

and the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, but even if completed, it may not have seen much success because railroads had already become the preferred mode of transportation.

19th century growth

In 1853, a

plank road A plank road is a road composed of Plank (wood), wooden planks or wikt:puncheon#Noun, puncheon logs, as an efficient technology for traversing soft, marshy, or otherwise difficult ground. Plank roads have been built since antiquity, and were comm ...

was completed from Milwaukee to Watertown. After plank roads were no longer used, the route was replaced by highway ( Wisconsin Highway 16) and a railroad. A street named "Watertown Plank Road" survives in Milwaukee. It is referred to in the "Plank Road Brewery" family of beers, produced by

Miller Brewing Company The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the ...

in Milwaukee. Fischers Building and Lower Watertown Dam

There was an influx of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

immigrants in the late 19th century. The city is the home of the

first kindergarten The First Kindergarten in Watertown, Wisconsin, is the building that housed the first kindergarten in the United States, opened in 1856. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 for its significance to the history of educa ...

in the United States, started in 1856 by Margarethe Schurz, wife of statesman

Carl Schurz Carl Christian Schurz (; March 2, 1829 – May 14, 1906) was a German-American revolutionary and an American statesman, journalist, and reformer. He migrated to the United States after the German revolutions of 1848–1849 and became a prominent ...

; the building that housed this kindergarten is now located on the grounds of the Octagon House Museum in Watertown.

City railroad bond default

Growth of the city was substantially hampered when Watertown issued almost half a million dollars in bonds to support the building of two railroads to town to encourage further growth: the Chicago & Fond du Lac Company and the Milwaukee, Watertown & Madison Road. The success of the plank road convinced residents that a railroad would be even more beneficial, and bonds were issued from 1853 to 1855. The Milwaukee and Watertown Railroad, as it was called before it extended to Madison, was completed in 1855, only the second line in the state. Soon after, in the

Panic of 1857 The Panic of 1857 was a financial crisis in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission ...

, the two railroads went bankrupt. The bonds were sold by the original investors to out-of-town speculators at a small fraction of their face value. Since the railroads were never built and did not produce revenue, the city was unable to pay off the bonds. Moreover, the city did not feel compelled to do so because the creditors (those who held the bonds) were not only from out of town, but weren't even the original holders. Yet the creditors exerted so much pressure on the city to pay off the bonds that Watertown effectively dissolved its government so that there was no legal entity (the government as a whole or officers) that could be served a court order to pay or appear in court. The case was not resolved until 1889, when it had risen all the way to the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

, which essentially dismissed the case of the creditors. A small amount remained to be paid, and this was not paid off until 1905, half a century later.

Geography and climate

Watertown is located in southeastern Wisconsin, approximately midway between Madison and

, at 43°12'N 88°43'W (43.193, −88.724). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. Small communities in the immediate area (e.g., within the school district) include Richwood,

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, Old Lebanon, Sugar Island, Pipersville, Concord, Ebenezer, and Grellton. The Rock River flows through Watertown in a horseshoe bend before heading south and west on its way to the

. The city originally developed inside the horseshoe, though it has long since grown beyond. Silver Creek adjoins the river in the city, as does a short creek on the west side. The most notable geographical feature is a high density of

drumlin A drumlin, from the Irish word ("little ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or groun ...

s, long hills formed by the

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s of the

Wisconsin glaciation The Wisconsin glaciation, also called the Wisconsin glacial episode, was the most recent glacial period of the North American ice sheet complex, peaking more than 20,000 years ago. This advance included the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, which nucleated ...

as they retreated northwards. Hills in the area are elongated in the north-south direction.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 22,926. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 9,826 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.2%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.8% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 3.5% from other races, and 6.2% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 9.6%

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 23,861 people, 9,187 households, and 6,006 families living in the city. The

was . There were 9,745 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.0%

, 0.8%

, 0.3% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 2.7% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 7.3% of the population. There were 9,187 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.6% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age in the city was 35.7 years. 25.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.4% were from 25 to 44; 24% were from 45 to 64; and 14.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 21,598 people, 8,022 households, and 5,567 families living in the city. The population density was 1,974.1 people per square mile (762.3/km²). There were 8,330 housing units at an average density of 761.4 per square mile (294.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.90%

, 0.25%

, 0.39% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.69% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 4.94% of the population. There were 8,022 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $42,562, and the median income for a family was $50,686. Males had a median income of $34,825 versus $23,811 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,977. About 4.6% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Watertown is in the Watertown Unified School District. The city has one public high school, Watertown High School. Riverside Middle School is on the eastern edge of the city. The public elementary schools in the city are Lincoln, Schurz, Douglas, and Webster. The city also has one charter high school, Endeavor Charter School. Six

parochial school A parochial school is a private school, private Primary school, primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathem ...

s serve elementary and middle school students in Watertown, four Lutheran and two Catholic. Luther Preparatory School, a school affiliated with the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...

(WELS), is located in the central city.

Maranatha Baptist University Maranatha Baptist University is a private Baptist university in Watertown, Wisconsin. History The institution was founded in 1968 as Maranatha Baptist Bible College by B. Myron Cedarholm. The college was named for the Aramaic phrase '' Mara ...

and its associated private high school, Maranatha Baptist Academy, are located on the west side of Watertown. A branch of the Madison Area Technical College is also on the west side.

Business and industry

Watertown's major employers are the school district, Watertown Regional Medical Center, CQC, several light industries, food processing, metals, electronics, and regional distribution companies.

Rail & Transload, Inc.

Rail & Transload, Inc., formerly known as Specialty Ingredients, is a

transloading Transloading, also known as cross-docking, is the process of transferring a shipment from one mode of transportation to another. It is most commonly employed when one mode cannot be used for the entire trip, such as when goods must be shipped in ...

facility and

terminal railroad A switching and terminal railroad is a freight railroad company whose primary purpose is to perform local switching services or to own and operate a terminal facility. Switching is a type of operation done within the limits of a yard. It gener ...

located in Watertown that operates approximately of track. The operations occur mostly within a small

rail yard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of Track (rail transport), tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for k ...

directly connected to the Canadian Pacific mainline. The yard has room for up to 125

freight cars A railroad car, railcar (American English, American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and International Union of Railways, UIC), also called a tra ...

, and the inside facility has room for up to five. These are mostly hoppers and

tank car A tank car (International Union of Railways (UIC): tank wagon) or tanker is a type of railroad car (UIC: railway car) or rolling stock designed to transport liquid and gaseous commodity, commodities. History Timeline The following major event ...

Transportation

Major Highways

* Highway 16 (Wisconsin) * Highway 19 (Wisconsin) * Highway 26 (Wisconsin)

Airport

Watertown Municipal Airport (KRYV) provides service for the city and surrounding communities.

Rail

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's ''

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...

'' and '' Borealis'' passenger trains pass through, but do not stop in Watertown. The nearest Amtrak train station is in

Columbus, Wisconsin Columbus is a city in Columbia and Dodge counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,540 at the 2020 census, all of which resided in Columbia County. Columbus is located about northeast of Madison on the Crawfish River. Th ...

. Freight rail service is provided by the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

(CP), the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

(UP), and the

Wisconsin and Southern Railroad The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad is a Class II regional railroad in Southern Wisconsin and Northeastern Illinois currently operated by Watco. It operates former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) and ...

(WSOR). Plans to extend some ''

Hiawatha Hiawatha ( , also : ), also known as Ayenwatha or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and cofounder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some accounts, he ...

'' trains from Milwaukee to Madison include the possibility of adding a stop in Watertown.

Bus/Taxi

The city subsidizes a "Watertown Transit" service that provides taxi and small bus "ride sharing" service between requested stops.

Healthcare

Watertown Regional Medical Center is a 95 bed hospital with a level III trauma center. There are 35.4

primary care physician A primary care physician (PCP) is a physician who provides both the first contact for a person with an undiagnosed health concern as well as continuing care of varied medical conditions, not limited by cause, organ system, or diagnosis. The term ...

s per 100,000 population in the area. Watertown is designated as a

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). By 2035, Watertown is estimated to have a 51.6% deficit in primary care physicians, the sixth largest expected deficit in Wisconsin. There are no behavioral health professionals in Watertown.

Media

The local newspaper, the '' Watertown Daily Times'', dates back to November 23, 1895, when John W. Cruger and E. J. Schoolcraft formed a partnership to publish a daily newspaper.Daily Times History
''Watertown Daily Times'', March 31, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2014. The newspaper currently has 25,000 readers. The radio station WMDX (formerly WTTN), AM 1580, was licensed to Watertown but is now licensed to with the transmitter located west of

while the studio ultimately moved to Madison where it serves as a news/talk outlet. WJJO 94.1 FM was originally in Watertown, but is now also located in Madison with an

active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...

format. Watertown is still well served by radio stations from the Madison, Milwaukee and Janesville markets as well as signals originating from surrounding towns. Watertown operates a local government-access television (GATV) channel. Programming includes church services from around the area, as well as special programming, sports, and community events. Watertown is in the Milwaukee television market with stations from Madison also available over the air and on cable.

Historic landmarks

* Beals and Torrey Shoe Co. Building * Chicago and North Western Depot *

First Kindergarten The First Kindergarten in Watertown, Wisconsin, is the building that housed the first kindergarten in the United States, opened in 1856. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 for its significance to the history of educa ...

* August and Eliza Fuermann Jr. House *

Octagon House Octagon houses are eight-sided houses that were popular in the United States and Canada mostly in the 1850s. They are characterized by an octagonal (eight-sided) Floor plan, plan and often feature a flat roof and a veranda that circles the hous ...

Notable people

* Charles Beckman, Wisconsin State Representative * Al Bentzin,

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

* R. D. Blumenfeld, journalist, editor of the British ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

'' * Champ Boettcher, fullback in National Football League * Daniel Brandenstein,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...

, veteran of four space shuttle flights * Ray Busler, player in National Football League * Luther A. Cole, politician and businessman * Joseph E. Davies, second ambassador to represent U.S. in

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

* William M. Dennis, Wisconsin state legislator * William Ellis,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient * Edward W. Fehling,

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

State Senator * Hezekiah Flinn, Wisconsin State Representative * Charles R. Gill, Attorney General of

Hiram Gill Hiram C. Gill (August 23, 1866 – January 7, 1919) was an American lawyer and two-time Mayor of Seattle, Washington, identified with the "open city" politics that advocated toleration of prostitution, alcohol (drug), alcohol, and gambling.David ...

, Mayor of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington * Daniel Hall, Wisconsin State Representative * C. Hugo Jacobi, Wisconsin State Representative and businessman * John Jagler, Wisconsin legislator * Charles A. Kading, Congressman * Lloyd Kasten, language scholar * Robert Kastenmeier, Congressman * John Kessler, Wisconsin State Representative * Eugene H. Killian, Wisconsin State Representative * Frederick Kusel, Wisconsin State Senator *

Mary Lasker Mary Woodard Lasker (November 30, 1900February 21, 1994) was an American health activist and philanthropist. She worked to raise funds for medical research and founded the Lasker Foundation. Early life Mary Woodard was born in Watertown, Wisco ...

, health activist, recipient of

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President ...

and

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

* John A. Lovely, Minnesota Supreme Court justice * Vincent R. Mathews, Wisconsin State Representative * Christian Mayer, Wisconsin State Representative * Peter McGovern,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

State Senator * Fred Merkle, nicknamed "Bonehead" was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball for Giants, Dodgers, Cubs * Blaine Mueller, assistant coach for the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

of the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. * Charles Mulberger, Wisconsin State Senator and Mayor of Watertown * Nate Oats, basketball head coach,

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

* Carlotta Perry, poet * Ben Peterson, Olympic gold and silver medalist in wrestling * Judson Prentice, Wisconsin State Senator * Theodore Prentiss, Wisconsin State Representative * J. A. O. Preus III, former President of

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

, Irvine, California * Meinhardt Raabe, actor * Edward Racek, Wisconsin State Representative and Mayor of Watertown'Wisconsin Blue Book 1905,' Biographical Sketch of Edward Racek, pg. 1101 * Randall J. Radtke, Wisconsin State Representative * Patrick Rogan, Wisconsin State Representative * Theodore H. Rowell, pharmaceutical industrialist and politician * John C. Schuman, Wisconsin State Senator *

, U.S. Secretary of the Interior * Margarethe Schurz, founder of first kindergarten in U.S. * Michael J. Schwerin, U.S. Navy admiral * Thomas Shinnick, Wisconsin State Representative * Albert Solliday, Wisconsin State Senator * Jesse Stone, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin * Doris Tetzlaff, baseball player * C. F. Viebahn, Wisconsin State Representative * William Voss, Wisconsin State Senator * Byron F. Wackett, Wisconsin State Representative * Myron B. Williams, Wisconsin State Senator * Joseph Wimmer, Wisconsin State Representative * Ferdinand T. Yahr, Wisconsin State Senator

References

External links

City of Watertown

Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce
* *
Where Have All the Germans Gone?
' contains a segment on the history of the German community in Watertown {{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Jefferson County, Wisconsin Cities in Dodge County, Wisconsin Watertown-Fort Atkinson